


The Fundamental Theorem of Romance

by amoleofmonsters



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Soulmates, Trope Subversion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-21
Updated: 2015-06-01
Packaged: 2018-02-14 01:44:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 29,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2173347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amoleofmonsters/pseuds/amoleofmonsters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the distant future, dating has become a thing of the past. Instead, everyone is assigned a soul mate at the end of the year that they turn eighteen. Based off of data that has been collected through the first eighteen years of a person's life, the assigned soul mate is a person's perfect match. </p>
<p>Soul mates are destined to marry and start a family together. Attempting a romantic and/or sexual relationship with someone who is not their soul mate is forbidden. Why would someone need to be with someone not meant for them? Thanks to this ingenious method, scientists claim that cheating, STDs, and prostitution will slowly fade out until they are no more, if they haven't already.</p>
<p>Haru's own soul mate assignment is drawing near and he's certain he knows exactly who it's going to be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm finally beginning to post this fic and it feels amazing! I have spent a good chunk of the summer writing it and I maybe should have waited a bit more to post, but I wanted the first chapter up before I left for college on Sunday. The entire rough draft has been written so don't worry, this fic WILL have an ending. The question is when I'll have time to edit the rest of this beast. It's possible the next chapter will be up tomorrow or possibly weeks from now. I just don't know, but I promise I will finish posting this fic because the entire thing exists in some form already, just a shitty, subpar form that isn't allowed to see the world quite yet.
> 
> Before you start reading, I feel like I have to give a word of warning. I didn't think I originally had to give this warning, but certain events in the fandom have made me rethink otherwise. The endgame of this fic IS MakoHaru, I can promise you that. However, other pairings crop up here and there. I can't tell you what they are because that would spoil major parts of the fic, but I promise MakoHaru gets a happy ending.
> 
> I'd like to thank Dawn (tumblr - madnessatdawn), Emily (tumblr - vaguelydisturbed), and Nevena (tumblr - featheredarchitect) who had to deal with me constantly bugging them about advice for this fic. I don't think this fic would be the way it is without them so thanks for putting up with me never shutting up about this for a solid month.
> 
> And lastly, I left multiple references throughout the fic to various dystopian novels and movies. See if you can recognize what all of them are from!

Haru’s alarm clock blared throughout the entire room, dragging him out of the depths of sleep. Lethargically, he pulled himself up into a sitting position and ran a hand through his hair, feeling the beads of sweat that had collected there. The room had a heavy, moist feel to it, the resulted of a rainstorm the night before.

After the alarm clock had been properly silenced, Haru stood up from the bed and slowly padded to the bathroom, rubbing the remnants of sleep from his eyes. He filled the bathtub and shucked his clothes from his body, pulling on his swim suit. There was no way that Makoto wasn’t stopping to pick him up that morning and there was no way that Haru was allowed to be naked when that happened. Haru had about an hour to relax so he climbed into the bathtub and settled in.

Haru hadn’t realized that he had fallen asleep, but the next thing he knew, Makoto was stumbling through the door. “Haru-chan, are you in the bathtub again?” Makoto called, like he did every morning.

“When will you stop adding the ‘-chan’?” said Haru with a sigh. As always, Makoto smiled and offered his hand. It felt warm when Haru took it. 

After a quick breakfast of mackerel, the two boys left Haru’s house and headed to school. The walk was a long one and today the atmosphere felt think and smothering, but Haru didn’t mind. He liked walking alongside Makoto as his friend chattered on about everything and anything, their hands not quite touching. 

Iwatobi High School was relatively small and most of the kids in the area ended up attending it. It had a graduating class of about sixty students. The halls were clean and orderly, the teachers kind and helpful, and the students polite and eager to learn. Placed in every classroom, alongside every doorway, hanging in every bathroom, was the standard message, “No kissing or touching – remember to save yourself for your soul mate.” 

When Haru and Makoto finally made it to class, the teacher, Amakata, was staring at them expectantly. The two boys bowed and whispered, “Sorry,” under their breath. But they weren’t sorry – well perhaps Makoto was – but they always, without fail, arrived late. So long as Haru took morning baths, this wouldn’t change. 

As usual, Haru found the lessons to be painfully dry and monotonous. Math turned into literature which turned into science. He spent the entirety of class either staring out the window, watching the clock, or doodling in his notebook. He would get the notes from Makoto later, as usual, so there was no point in paying attention. 

Lunch couldn’t have arrived slower. When the teacher finally excused them, Haru followed Makoto up to their usual spot up on the roof. They settled down to eat their lunch in comfortable silence, their shoulders not quite touching. A few minutes later, Haru heard the stomping of feet. He looked up to see the blond blur that was Nagisa speeding towards them. A distressed Rei with a lunch box chased after Nagisa who halted to a stop right in front of Haru. “Haru-chan! Mako-chan!” 

“Hey, Nagisa!” said Makoto with a smile. Nagisa plopped down onto the ground and Rei took a seat next to him. 

“So, Makoto-senpai, how have your college exam preparations been going? You’re applying to Elysium University, aren’t you?” asked Rei.

Makoto frowned and sighed. “Yeah, I am. It hasn’t been as productive as I expected. I didn’t realize how much studying I needed to do. I should have started ages ago.”

“I could go over some of the material with you,” said Rei.

“Huh? But why would you do that?” said Makoto. “Not that I’m not grateful, but you’re a second year.”

“Oh, I already started studying for my placement exams!”

“What? Why?” butt in Nagisa, his words muffled by the glob of bread in his mouth. 

Rei chuckled. “Oh, you can never be too prepared! Am I right, Makoto-senpai?”

Haru glared at Rei in disappointment. Makoto and Nagisa both looked incredibly unimpressed. “Rei, please have a life,” said Makoto.

After school came Haru’s favorite part of the day: swim practice. He could spend hours on end in the water without a care in the world. It was freedom that his bathtub didn’t allow. So, when class ended, Haru stood up and made a beeline for the pool. Makoto hollered after him, “Haru, wait up!” but Haru ignored him. Makoto knew where to go. 

Haru arrived to find Gou kneeling next to the pool, her back to him. She must have heard his footsteps and quickly turned around. A big smile was plastered on her face. “Haruka-senpai, you made it!” 

Haru was about to respond when Makoto stumbled through the door after him, breathing hard. “It wouldn’t hurt you to wait a bit, Haru!”

Gou stood up and bounced over to Makoto. “Makoto-senpai, there you are! I was wondering if I could run tomorrow’s training plan by you.”

Makoto smiled at her and straightened himself. “Sure thing, Gou-chan.” 

As the two of them bent over Gou’s notes, Haru shucked off his clothes and dived straight in. The water swirled around him, enveloping his body and accepting him. He pushed off of the bottom and pulled himself towards the opposite wall. His body felt powerful, unstoppable, his arms cutting through the water to propel him forward. As long as he was swimming, he was happy. 

After a few laps, he could hear loud chattering. That probably meant that Nagisa and Rei had arrived and Gou would want to talk to all of them. Reluctantly, Haru swam back over to his friends and popped up on the side of the pool to listen. 

“Alright guys, regionals is coming up! We have to train extra hard if we want to win this year,” said Gou. “Makoto and I have created a training schedule for all of you.” She handed out papers to the team and then motioned for Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei to get in. As much as Haru wanted to swim how he wanted, he was going to listen to Gou. She had been working hard for them. He picked up the piece of paper she had placed in front of his lane and read it over. After committing it to memory, he pushed off the wall and began the work out. 

As usual, Haru stayed in the water long after practice was over. By the time Amakata, who was also their faculty advisor, began yelling at him to get out of the school, it was sundown. Makoto, who was already dressed, came over to meet Haru at the side of the pool. He extended out his hand and Haru grasped it. 

“Hey, do you want to sleep over tonight?” asked Makoto. 

Haru looked at Makoto in confusion. “Aren’t you studying for placement exams?” 

“Well, I am, but it doesn’t hurt to take a break every once in a while. Besides, you know how my family and I feel about you being all alone in your house.” 

Haru nodded. “Okay, I’ll come over.” With that, he walked into the locker room to change out of his bathing suit. Makoto didn’t follow him, choosing to sit down on the side of the pool and wait. When Haru finished, he walked back out to meet Makoto and they walked home together. 

Dinner at the Tachibana household was always a lively affair. There could never be a dull moment with Makoto’s younger siblings, Ren and Ran. They seemed to be an endless stream of chatter, talking to anyone and everyone who would listen. Every so often, they would ask about having a second helping of something. Makoto was usually the one who would indulge them, sometimes from his own plate. 

When dinner finished, the twins cornered Haru and tugged at his shirt. “Haru-chan! Read us a story!” 

“Ren, Ran, I’m sure Haru’s tired. Don’t bother him! I’ll read to you. Go pick out a book,” scolded Makoto, pushing his siblings away. He turned back to Haru with a smile and said, “I’m sorry about this.” 

“Don’t worry about it,” answered Haru. “I enjoy spending time with them.” 

The twins’ eyes practically sparkled at the prospect of a story. Giggling, they ran to Ran’s room, Haru and Makoto following after. Ran grabbed a book and pushed it into Makoto’s hands. Makoto and Haru sat down on Ran’s bed, the twins climbing into their laps. “Haru-chan, can you braid my hair?” asked Ran. Haru nodded and took her long hair in his hands, skillfully parting it into thirds. He remembered the first time he had attempted this and it had ended in disaster. There had been a lot of tears and struggling. Now, he was much better at it and Ran had even confined in him that his braiding was better than her older brother’s. 

“Read the story, Oniichan!” she yelled as Haru began twisting the pieces of her hair together. Ren showed his agreement by kicking Makoto in the shin. 

“Ouch, okay, I’ll read it, but only if you two promised to behave!” yelped Makoto. 

“We promise!” yelled the twins. Then, they clamped their hands over their mouths and stared expectantly at their brother. 

As Haru finished Ran’s braid and laid it against her back, Makoto pulled open the book and began reading. It was fairy tale about a knight that went on a perilous quest so he could be with the princess of his dreams. It was an old story, something that was considered to be childish and silly by modern standards. Ren and Ran, as children who didn’t know better, ate it up. As the fairy tale progressed, Haru felt himself slowly nod off. Makoto’s voice was always comforting, a smooth harmony. He was safe, like a giant blanket Haru could bury himself in. He was the tether that kept Haru secure and grounded. 

Before he knew it, Haru found himself fast asleep, his head resting against Makoto’s shoulder. 

 

The following day was Friday. As of late, Rin had started visiting Iwatobi on the last day of the school week to spend time with his ex-teammates. It was a bit of a commute since he was coming from his fancy private school, Samezuka. Because of this, Friday practice typically devolved into everyone goofing off and splashing each other in the pool. At first, Gou and Makoto had been upset that their practice plans kept getting ruined, but eventually, they accepted it. Even they had to admit it was a good way to end the week. 

Haru started off ignoring everyone as he usually did, but Rin swam over and grabbed his ankle. “Get over here, Haru!” Rin didn’t let go until they were all the way on the other side of the pool being splashed at. 

“Let’s play water polo!” yelled Nagisa. 

“How is that going to work? There’s five of us,” said Rei. 

“Well, if Gou-chan gets in the pool, we can have six!” 

“No way, hell no! That’s not gonna happen!” retorted Gou. 

“Aw, but Gou-chan-“

“If she plays goalie from the side, she doesn’t have to get in the water,” said Makoto. That seemed to satisfy Nagisa, who smiled and nodded in agreement. 

“What about the net?” said Rei.

“Set up some cones or something from the gym, let’s play!” whined Nagisa. 

They didn’t find any cones, but they found some old water polo nets. After the nets were set up, the teams were divided up. Haru, Makoto, and Rin were on one team; Nagisa, Rei, and Gou were on the other. As promised, Gou played goalie, and Makoto became the goalie of the other team. Amakata briefly stood up from her beach chair and tossed the ball – a ball that Nagisa had bought a while back – into the water.

Rin and Nagisa were off, both of them going straight for the ball. They made it over at the same time and there was a brief struggle as the two of them fought over it. Rin ended up victorious and he tossed the ball over to Haru. When it was in his hands, Haru went straight for the goal. Rei was on him in seconds, ready to defend, but Haru was faster. He swam around Rei and lugged the ball towards the net. Gou yelped as the ball slammed into her chest and she fell backwards. 

“Gou! Shit, you okay?” called Rin.

Gou sat up, grinning and waving the ball above her head. “Don’t worry, I saved it!” 

“Over here, Gou-chan!” yelled Nagisa, waving his arms in the air. She lugged the ball across the pool at him and he caught it, turned around, and headed for the opposing goal.

The rest of practice was taken up by the game. Sometimes, Nagisa would scream out, “Goal!” and Rin would yell, “Fuck yeah!” When practice came to an end, everyone was reluctant to go, but no one could deny that Makoto’s growling stomach was a sign that it was time to head out. The boys changed out of their bathing suits and then the six of them left the school.

On Fridays, the group usually went out to eat. The restaurant they frequented was a local ramen joint known as Sonmi. Haru wasn’t too fond of it because they didn’t serve mackerel, but everyone else seemed to adore it so he put up with it.

As they waited for dinner to come, Nagisa chirped up, “Haru-chan, Mako-chan, Rin-chan, the ceremony is coming up for you guys! Aren’t you excited?” 

“I guess so. It’s still a while off, though. Got a few more months,” said Makoto. 

“You’re not really being assigned a real soul mate, right? I mean, it’s just a bunch of number crunching to tell you that you will have the best chemistry with this specific person so you should marry them and raise kids together,” said Rei. “Soul mates don’t really exist and even if they did, I doubt it would be so easy to figure out.” 

Nagisa frowned. “Wow, so romantic, Rei-chan! I feel bad for whoever ends up with you! I can’t believe you’re denying science, this is so not like you.”

“I’m not denying science! I’m just thinking realistically.” 

“Rei-chan…” whined Nagisa. 

“It’s not really a big deal,” said Haru.

Rin sighed. “Well, I guess not for you. You and Makoto are basically meant to be soul mates. It must be nice to be going into this with no surprises. You won’t have to meet a random stranger that you’re going to be expected to spend the rest of your life with.” 

“T-that’s not true!” said Makoto with a gasp. “We’re not destined to be together, come on, that’s silly! And even if we are, there’s no way to know that now. We could end up with anyone.” 

“Of course you’re meant to be! You’re Mako-chan and Haru-chan! You’ve always been together and you always will be!” yelled Nagisa. He was promptly glared at by some of the other customers. 

Rin nodded. “Couldn’t have said it better myself.” 

“How do you know you won’t end up with someone you know?” asked Haru, completely ignoring Nagisa’s comment. He wanted to take the focus of the conversation away from Makoto who was increasingly becoming redder and redder as it went on. 

Rin snorted. “Yeah, right. I hope I don’t have to marry any of you. What a train wreck that will be, finally being allowed to have sex and I have to have sex with one of you idiots? No thanks! No, the person I’m gonna end up with is going to be beautiful and smart and the sex will be amazing and you’re all going to be jealous.” 

“You better introduce them to us right away, Rinrin,” said Nagisa dreamily. 

“Nagisa-kun’s right, I need to approve of this absolutely perfect soul mate,” said Gou. 

“As if! I wouldn’t want to scare them away! No, I have to ease them into this,” said Rin. “You can all meet them once everything is nice and cozy.” 

Nagisa pouted and Gou crossed her arms in anger, but neither of them could get a retort in because at that moment, the food arrived. Within seconds, the conversation dissolved into verbal appreciation of the meal. Despite the fact that Haru’s favorite dish was not on the menu, he couldn’t help but feel impressed by what he received. The ramen was absolutely fantastic. 

Dinner ended much too soon and before they knew it, Haru and Makoto were saying good-bye and heading back to their neighborhood. Haru expected Makoto to begin his usual chatter, but he didn’t. Even though Haru found it strange, he didn’t say anything. Something was bothering Makoto, but Haru figured he would say something if it was important. 

Instead of worrying about it, Haru watched the ocean. The waves kissed the shore, small and soothing, and Haru could practically feel them against his toes. He wanted nothing more to be out there swimming at that moment. Water was uncomplicated and free. 

They finally arrived to their street and Makoto turned to split off. Haru waved goodbye, ready to head to his own house. Instead of waving back, Makoto stopped and looked back at Haru. “Part of me really hopes that Rin’s right,” he whispered, his voice so low that Haru had to strain to hear it. If had hadn’t been paying attention, he would have completely missed it. 

Before Haru could respond, Makoto walked away, leaving Haru standing on the steps alone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow okay I managed to post this within a few days. I doubt chapter three is going to be up as fast as two was, but we'll see. I'm leaving for college in two days, though. This chapter was originally going to be much longer, but I decided to split it into two chapters and it probably makes more sense that way. So yeah, sorry about it, but because of it, chapters two and three are gonna be shorter than usual.

One chilly October morning a few weeks later, Amakata walked into the classroom and said, “Since you will all be attending your very own soul mate ceremony in January, I’ve decided to take some time today to go over the ceremony and its history.” There was a groan from some of the students in the front of the room. Amakata turned to glare at them. There was instant silence.

“As many of you know, the soul mate ceremony takes place at the end of the year that you turn eighteen. There, you are given the name of your soul mate by the Love Calculator, which uses information collected and submitted by family, friends, teachers, and what you choose to submit yourself. Your soul mate’s name is then tattooed on your collarbone and of course, your soul mate gets your name on their collarbone. Not all of you will receive soul mates at your first soul mate ceremony. Sometimes, the Love Calculator believes that your soul mate is not of age. If that happens, you must return to the ceremony at the end of every year until you are given a soul mate.

“The Love Calculator itself was invented in 1984 by a group of scientists who wanted to see if romantic love could be quantified. Of course, they were successful. It was then that the Love Calculator was commercialized. Anyone over the age of eighteen could submit their name to it and eventually, they would receive the name of a soul mate that was also in the system. It was meant to be for fun, but then someone thought, well, if the system worked, then why shouldn’t everyone use it? It would save a lot of people the hassle and disappointment of having romantic relationships that were doomed to fail. Now we use the Love Calculator for everyone which results in healthier relationships overall! We’ve also managed to eradicate sexually transmitted diseases, prostitution, and cheating!” Amakata practically beamed at her explanation. “Any questions?” 

Someone from the back of the classroom raised their hand. “Amakata-sensei, does this mean that you have a soulmate?”

“Yup, you’re right! I do!” She pulled down her shirt a bit to show the tattoo printed neatly on her collarbone. “It’s my husband, Sasabe Goro! I wasn’t sure at first when his name was given to me. He wasn’t anything like what I thought my soul mate would be, but now we’re very happy together!” 

“Congratulations, Amakata-sensei!” called a girl from the front of the room. 

“Thank you very much!”

Slowly, Haru lifted his hand. Amakata turned to look at him. “Yes, Nanase-kun?” 

“Has the Love Calculator ever been wrong?” 

“Haru!” yelled Makoto. “You can’t ask something like that!”

“No, no, it’s okay!” said Amakata. “No, I don’t believe it has. At least, I have never heard it be. But I promise, it won’t be wrong for you, Nanase-kun! You’re going to have a wonderful person as your soul mate and so will everyone else here! The Love Calculator is almost never wrong!” 

 

The chill of winter came earlier than expected. It was only the beginning of November and yet, Haru found himself donning his warmest winter coat. It was much too cold to swim and so, with heavy hearts, the Iwatobi High School Swim Team closed up their pool two weeks earlier than planned and began holding practice at the local swim club. Graduation was on the horizon for both Makoto and Haru. No one wanted to say anything, but if new members weren’t found soon, the team would get disbanded. The last two years had been fruitless, but somewhere in the school, there was someone that wanted to swim. They had to believe that. 

Haru began to spend a lot of his free time studying for college placement exams with Makoto. He had been reluctant at first, but eventually Makoto convinced him how important they were. The two of them had invited Rin, but since Rin had gotten scouted months back, there wasn’t much pressure for him to study. Sometimes Rei and Nagisa joined them, but while Rei was a hard worker, Nagisa couldn’t sit still more than two minutes and would whine until they did something else.

Haru and Makoto were alone at Haru’s place one Saturday. Haru stood up from the couch and stretched his arms above his head, mindful of all the papers scattered around. They had been studying for a few hours by that point and Haru had started to feel antsy. He wanted to swim, but he knew he couldn’t.

“You okay, Haru?” asked Makoto. 

Haru nodded. “I just feel stiff from sitting so much. How much more of this do we have to do?”

“I just wanted to finish this practice set.” 

Haru groaned. “It’s ten pages long. It’s going to take at least another hour.” 

“Alright, how about we do the grammar exercises?” 

Haru glared. “I’m going to take a bath.”

Makoto scrambled to stand. “No, wait, Haru! Come on, we’re almost done. We can go to the swim club afterwards.”

“You promise?” 

Makoto smiled. “Promise! Let’s just do it fast enough so we can leave while it’s still light out.” 

Haru sighed and sat down next to Makoto, picking up his notebook. Makoto had originally planned on attending the local university with Haru, but his teachers and parents told him to aim higher. One of the schools he was applying to was Elysium University, an elite university in Tokyo, and being accepted was practically a miracle. Makoto had admitted on multiple occasions that he knew he probably wouldn’t get in. Haru had already begun to notice the bags under Makoto’s eyes and he couldn’t help but wonder how much extra studying Makoto did on his own. He could only imagine how much stress Makoto was under.

They finished up the problem set an hour later and got up to head to the pool just as planned. Halfway there, Makoto’s phone went off. “Nagisa, what’s up?” said Makoto, picking up the call. 

“Mako-chan, get Haru-chan and come to the beach!” Nagisa was so loud that even Haru could hear him.

“He’s already with me. We’re heading to the swim club.”

“Well, change of plans! Come to the beach! You won’t be sorry!” With that, Nagisa hung up and Makoto closed his phone with a sigh.

“Nagisa wants us to go to the beach.” 

“I don’t mind.”

“Are you sure? It’s way too cold to swim so we won’t be able to go in the water.”

Haru pondered it for a moment. “Are you sure it’s too cold?”

“Yes, I’m sure! Haru, it’s below freezing right now! If we go, promise me you won’t try to go in the water?” 

Haru sighed. “Okay, I promise.” 

“Seriously, I’m not joking! It’s really cold, Haru! You’d freeze!”

“Yeah, I got it, I promise. I won’t go in the water. Now let’s go before Nagisa calls again and freaks out on us.” 

And so, the two of them changed direction and headed towards the beach. Upon arrival, they came to find that Nagisa, Rei, Gou, Rin, and Aiichiro, Rin’s roommate at Samezuka, were already there. Nagisa had a big garbage bag by his feet. When he saw them, he waved and screamed, “Mako-chan, Haru-chan, over here!” 

“So, what’d you call us out here for?” said Rin. 

“Well, now that everyone’s here, I can show you!” Nagisa leaned down, dumped the contents of the garbage bag onto the sand, and picked up a multicolored stick. He fished something out of his pocket and pressed it against the tip. Suddenly, the stick lit up, bathing the seven of them in bright light.

“Where did you get fireworks?” screamed Rei. 

“Don’t worry, Rei-chan!” said Nagisa, bopping Rei on the nose. “Just have fun!” He pushed the sparkler into Rei’s hand and picked up another stick. He then walked a bit to the side and stuck it into the ground. “Everyone, back up!” He lit the end of the firework and then ran for cover as it zoomed into the air. It burst a few meters above their heads, painting the sky with green. Haru heard screams, but he wasn’t sure if they were of fear or surprise. 

“Can I light one?” said Gou. 

“Yup!” Nagisa threw her a lighter. 

“Nagisa, are you sure this is safe?” said Makoto.

Nagisa laughed and rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry so much, Mako-chan! Just have fun!” 

Pretty soon, the sky was exploding with color. The group had gotten over their fear of the fireworks fast, even though not everyone was comfortable with lighting them (namely Makoto and Rei). Nagisa was launching one after another into the sky like a well-oiled machine. Everyone eventually gave up trying to use them and sat down to watch the show that Nagisa was putting on. 

Haru sat on the sand next to Makoto who couldn’t seem to get rid of his grin. Makoto had been stressing so much recently that it was nice to see him so happy. As much as Haru had wanted to swim, he couldn’t help but be grateful that Nagisa had called them. Haru missed this Makoto. He missed spending time with his friend when they weren’t surrounded by study material. A breeze ruffled Makoto’s hair and pushed it back from his forehead. Despite how dark it was, Haru noticed that Makoto’s cheeks had the faintest tint of red from the cold. Haru could see the colors of the fireworks reflected in his eyes. 

It was at that moment that Haru’s breath caught. He didn’t know how he hadn’t realized it before, but Makoto was beautiful. Haru wanted to paint him. Paint his smiles, his warm eyes. He wanted to fill canvases with Makoto, to sketch the slope of his back, the width of his shoulders, his radiator hands. He wanted to encapsulate just how amazing Makoto was forever. 

Haru couldn’t deny it any longer. He was in love.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so tired all the time because college orientation but I managed to edit chapter three. Again, don't know when the next chapter will be out, but I'm trying to work on it! College is exhausting and a time suck so I apologize!

The week leading up to the Elysium placement exam, Makoto locked himself in his house to prepare, leaving only to go to school. He had completely abandoned Haru, choosing to study on his own instead. Haru supposed it was justified; he wasn’t that great of a study partner. But without Makoto’s help, Haru didn’t have much incentive to study for his own placement test. Instead, he sat in his bathtub until Nagisa harassed him into being social.

On the morning of the exam, Haru woke up early to see Makoto off, but when he arrived at the Tachibana house, he found Makoto to be a jittery mess. Makoto had a streak of shaving cream across his neck and he kept fidgeting with his tie. Haru had never seen Makoto this worked up before, but then again, Makoto had never done something this important before. When Makoto caught sight of Haru, he smiled as wide as he could. Haru couldn’t help but smile back and he hoped he looked somewhat reassuring.

Within minutes, Makoto’s mother began cleaning him up. “Here, let me get that off of you. And fix your tie!” She pressed a wet towel to his neck to scrub the shaving cream off. Haru was pushed off to the side. He figured she must have been just as nervous as Makoto.

The Tachibanas and Haru walked down to the train station to see Makoto off. They said their quick good-byes and Makoto boarded the train. Ren and Ran cried after their brother, telling him to come home soon. Haru shared that sentiment, but he simply waved.

Haru rejected the Tachibanas’ invite to spend the morning with them and instead returned home to take a long bath. He crawled into the tub and placed his phone on the side, ready to pick up the second Makoto called. Makoto had promised he would get in contact as soon as the test was done. Haru spent the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon soaking, only getting out once because he was hungry. Around four, his phone rang. It was Makoto, right on schedule.

“Makoto?”

“Hi, Haru! I just got out of the test.”

“Oh, how did you do?”

“I won’t know for a few hours. I’ll tell you everything when I get home. The results should be posted online by then.”

“I’m sure you did fine. They’re bound to accept you.”

Makoto laughed. It was a very familiar, nervous laugh, but he already seemed a lot calmer than he had that morning. “I hope so. I wish I was as confident about it as you.” Haru rolled his eyes. Makoto had no reason to worry; he had worked so hard in the last few weeks. “Say, Haru, you didn’t happen to stay in the bathtub all day without me, did you?”

Oh. Busted. Haru tried to figure out how to answer, but his silence must have been answer enough. Haru could hear Makoto sigh. “Jeez, Haru. Well, we can go out to dinner when I get back. My family and I were going out to eat after anyway and my Mom said I could invite you.”

“Are you sure it’s okay for me to intrude?”

“You’re practically family, anyway. They’d love for you to come.”

Haru smiled. “What time will you be home?”

“In a few hours. Oh, crap! Haru, I have to go! See you!”

“Bye,” said Haru, but Makoto had already hung up. Haru sighed and returned his phone to the side of the tub. He ducked his head under the water.

 

 

After finally climbing out of the cold bathtub, Haru ended up in front of his TV. Rin called him at one point, but Haru let it go to voice mail. There was only one person Haru wanted to see today and he was coming home from Tokyo.

Right on schedule, the doorbell rang and Haru jumped up, running to the door. He pulled it open and on the other side stood Makoto, a little frazzled, but still the Makoto that Haru knew. There was a giant grin on Makoto’s face. “Haru!”

“Welcome home.”

“Haru, listen! Haru! I got in!”

“What?”

“I got in! I got into Elysium!” Makoto waved his cell phone in Haru’s face, presumably because the acceptances page was pulled up on it, but Makoto’s arm was shaking so much from excitement that Haru couldn’t see anything.

Haru smiled what could possibly be the biggest smile he’d ever had. Impulsively, he pulled Makoto into a hug, wrapping his arms around Makoto’s neck and pressing his face into the crook of his neck.

“Haru, someone might see-“

“Congratulations, Makoto. I knew you could do it.”

It was then that Makoto hugged back, his arms squeezing Haru as hard as they could. “Thank you, Haru. I couldn’t have done it without you.” Makoto’s voice sounded so soft and sincere that Haru just wanted to melt in it. He stepped back so he could look at Makoto. Makoto’s eyes were so vibrant and beautiful. They were standing so close that Haru could see the light dusting of freckles on Makoto’s nose. He placed his hands against Makoto’s cheeks and before he could quite register what he was doing, he leaned forward and captured Makoto’s lips in a quick kiss. Makoto’s lips felt so warm against his and wonderful, so wonderful. It felt right, like he should have been kissing Makoto ages ago.

When his actions finally hit his brain, Haru jumped back. Makoto had a dumbfounded expression on his face. “H-haru...I-“

Haru lunged for the door. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” He slammed the door behind him and pressed his back against it. Stupid, he was so stupid. What if someone saw them? They would both get in trouble, all because Haru couldn’t keep his hands to himself. He was so stupid, so incredibly stupid. Why couldn’t he have waited until after the soul mate ceremony? Makoto would be pronounced his soul mate and then Haru could kiss him all he wanted. He was so stupid, so incredibly stupid, and now Makoto might have to pay the price for it.

When Haru opened the door again, Makoto was gone, almost as if he had never been.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry once again at the huge time between chapters! College doesn't leave much room for fanfic writing.

Haru dragged himself out of bed the following morning coated in his own shame. He could still feel the echo of Makoto’s lips against his own, a disgusting reminder of his own stupidity. There was no way Makoto wanted anything to do with him now. His best friend in the whole world was mad at him and wouldn’t ever speak to him again. It was entirely his fault, his stupid stupid fault. Why hadn’t he kept his hands to himself? 

Haru didn’t stay in the bathtub long since he knew Makoto wouldn’t be stopping by. After getting dressed and eating his typical breakfast of mackerel, he walked out of the house and locked the door behind himself. Haru turned to head down the stairs and stopped in his tracks. 

At the bottom sat Makoto. 

When Makoto noticed his presence, he stood up. “Haru, there you are!”

“What are you doing here?” 

Makoto blinked up at Haru in confusion. “What do you mean? We always walk to school together.” 

Haru’s mouth felt dry. “Well, I thought you wouldn’t want to today...after yesterday.”

Makoto scratched the back of his neck nervously. “Well, I was a bit confused, but you’re my best friend. Do you really expect me to drop our friendship like that?” 

Haru looked away from Makoto, finding it hard to maintain eye contact. “I’m sorry. I put both of us at risk. I don’t know why I did that, to be honest.”

“It’s okay, Haru. I don’t think anyone saw,” said Makoto. Then, he blushed. “To be honest, I didn’t really mind.” 

Haru perked up instantly. “You didn’t?” 

“I mean, it was really irresponsible. Especially with such little time left until the soul mate ceremony, but no, I didn’t.” 

“But then... if that’s really how you feel, then there’s no point in waiting then?”

Makoto’s face grew even redder and he nodded. “I mean... Y-yeah... technically there isn’t. I really want to continue kissing you, Haru, if you don’t mind. We just have to be more careful about it, at least for now.” 

Haru smiled. He wanted nothing more than to pull Makoto close and kiss him senseless, but he knew he couldn’t do that. Later, when they were alone. He headed down the stairs, leading the way to school. 

 

Haru was never one to enjoy attending class, but it seemed to drag on even longer that day. Even during practice, Haru felt antsy, Makoto’s promise echoing in his head. He didn’t stay in the pool until the absolute last minute, either. He could tell that his teammates found his behavior confusing based off of their glances, but none of them said anything. 

After practice, Haru walked home with Makoto, his gait faster than normal. Luckily, Makoto didn’t seem to protest and kept up with him. They were mostly silent, but their silence was sparkled with excitement and impatience. 

They arrived at Haru’s house and Haru dragged Makoto inside. He closed the door by pushing Makoto against it and attacking his mouth. Makoto’s lips were just as electrifying as Haru remembered them. He nipped against Makoto’s lower lip, begging for entrance. Makoto easily gave it to him and Haru slide his tongue against Makoto’s. He felt Makoto tentatively press him closer, one hand tangling in his hair and the other resting against his waist. Haru threw his arms around Makoto’s neck and pulled Makoto down harder on his lips. He could tell that Makoto was hesitant, nervous, his movements awkward. 

Haru pulled back and said, “Couch?” He could feel Makoto’s hot breath on his face. Makoto didn’t say anything, just nodded. Haru could tell he was absolutely flabbergasted. 

Haru grabbed Makoto’s hand and pulled him over to the couch. Hesitantly, Makoto climbed on top of him and slowly leaned down to press their lips together. He could tell that Makoto was wound up like a spring. “Don’t worry. We’re not gonna get in trouble. In one month, we won’t have to even keep this secret. Just one month,” Haru whispered against Makoto’s mouth.

“It’s not that,” Makoto whispered back. “I mean, okay, it kinda is, but... I’m nervous, I guess? I don’t really know what I’m doing.”

“Neither do I.” 

“Yeah, but... do you like this? Kissing me, I mean? Am I okay at this?”

“You’re fine.” Haru pressed his lips against Makoto’s forcefully as proof, effectively shutting him up. Makoto gasped in surprise, the sound like music to Haru’s ears. “More than fine.” 

Haru wasn’t sure how long they stayed on that couch, their lips connected and their hands roving, but eventually, Makoto pulled back and sat up. Haru sat up in confusion and tangled his fingers with Makoto’s. “I should get going. My parents are probably worried about where I am,” explained Makoto.

“Oh. Yeah.” 

Makoto leaned over and gave Haru a quick peck on the lips. “See you tomorrow.” Then, he untangled his hands from Haru’s. His movements lethargic, as if his body was subconsciously pulling him back, Makoto picked up his backpack and walked out the door.

“See you tomorrow.”

 

Over the next few weeks, Haru lost track of the amount of kisses he shared with Makoto. His entrance exam was still a bit off and so he would invite Makoto over under the pretense of studying. And study they did, at first. Eventually, his lips would be on Makoto’s and Makoto would be pressing him against the armrest of the couch. Makoto would be hesitant at first, his moves slow and unsure, but eventually he would get into it. His fingers would curl into Haru’s hair and he’d kiss him hard enough that Haru felt light and breathless. Makoto’s kisses were gentle, but they had enough force behind them to make Haru’s head spin. 

Haru’s placement exam was at the end of November. The day came faster than he had expected, but the morning of, Makoto arrived to shower Haru with praise. “You’ll do great,” said Makoto, giving Haru a good luck kiss. “You worked really hard! You’re bound to get in!”

Makoto walked with Haru to the train station. After they said their good-byes, Haru hopped on a train and road it to the local university. Once there, he saw a group of high school students like him waiting outside the door. A woman stood in front of them. “Attention, everyone! I presume that you have all registered to take the test today. When you’re let into the room, please find the seat with your name on it and we shall begin the test as soon as possible.” 

With that, Haru was ushered into one of many testing rooms. The test was long and dreary, dragging on for hours, and Haru wanted nothing more than to be anywhere else. When it was finally over, he ran as fast as possible to the train station, eager to get home. He feet urged him home, faster and faster. The train even was much too slow for Haru’s tastes. He wanted nothing more than to return to Iwatobi, to Iwatobi and to the most important person in the universe. 

When he finally made it back to his house, Makoto was already there waiting for him. Haru jumped into his arms and hugged him as hard as possible. Makoto laughed, his giggles ringing like bells. It was the greatest sound that Haru had ever heard. “Does this mean that you got in?”

Haru stepped back so he could look Makoto in the eyes and shook his head. “I won’t know until late tonight. I’m just glad it’s over.” 

Makoto grinned and pulled Haru in. Haru opened his mouth and let Makoto’s tongue slide against his own. They kissed for a while, just soaking in each other’s warmth. When they finally broke apart, they were breathing hard. Makoto gave Haru small, quick pecks on the lips. 

“Thanks for everything,” mumbled Haru. He could feel Makoto smile. 

“What would you do without me?”

They ended up popping in a movie and during the dull parts, their lips and hands were on each other. They didn’t even notice when the credits rolled in, too engrossed in each other. After the movie ended, Haru made dinner composed of mackerel and squid for the two of them. Makoto thanked him for the food with one more quick peck on his lips. Haru really didn’t think his cooking was anything special, but the way Makoto ate it with such enthusiasm made him proud. 

Eventually, there was one piece of mackerel left. “Take it,” said Haru.

“No, no, it’s okay, I insist that you eat it, Haru!”

“No, no, I insist!”

And back and forth it went until Haru picked up the piece and shoved it into Makoto’s mouth. “There, problem solved.” Makoto looked shocked and slightly offended, but then he started chewing and he was in euphoria. As Makoto finished eating, Haru stood up to begin clearing the table.

“Haru, that was really uncalled for!” said Makoto when he had finally swallowed. Haru waved off his comment. 

By the time the dishes were washed and dried, it was late enough that the results of Haru’s placement test were out. Haru booted up his computer and went to his email. Makoto leaned over him, trying to see. There were three new messages, two of which were junk mail and a third from the university.

“Are you ready?” asked Makoto. Haru nodded and clicked the message. 

“Congratulations, Nanase Haruka, you have been accepted-“ Before Haru could even finish his sentence, Makoto pulled him into a giant hug.

“Haru! Haru! I knew you could do it! Congratulations, Haru!” 

“Thanks, Makoto,” said Haru with a smile. 

“I’m gonna call Nagisa and the others, tell them the good news! You gonna call your parents?” said Makoto, standing up and picking up his phone.

“Um… well, they’re coming to visit in a few weeks, for the soul mate ceremony. I could just tell them then.” 

Makoto paused. “Oh. Okay. You don’t mind if I call everyone, though, do you? I’m sure they want to know.”

Haru nodded. “Yeah, go ahead. I’ll help you and it’ll get done faster.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh this took far too long for me to post! I am so sorry! College ate any free time I had! But happy New Years, everyone! Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long as this one did!

In December, Haru and Makoto graduated from Iwatobi High and Rin graduated from Samezuka. On the day of graduation, Haru and Makoto, along with the rest of the Tachibana clan, made it down to Iwatobi High bundled in as many layers as they could fit under their graduation robes. It was a special day, but Haru was itching for it to end.

The ceremony itself was long and boring. Haru nearly fell asleep twice. After a grueling two hours, he left the school for the very last time as a student, Makoto by his side. When they returned to the Tachibana house, Makoto’s mother put the kettle on, and they were treated to tea and pastries. Makoto couldn’t stop grinning like an idiot. Haru thought it was adorable. 

The following day, they met up with Rin downtown. “Yo! Haru, Makoto, how does it feel to be free?” Rin leaned against a fence with his hands in his pockets. Everything about his posture screamed that he thought he was far more mature and sophisticated now that he was no longer a high school student. Haru just rolled his eyes. 

It wasn’t long before Nagisa, Rei, and Gou showed up as well. They hadn’t really been invited, but word tended to get around fast. “You guys graduated! You know what this means? Party!” screamed Nagisa. 

“Nagisa-kun, I don’t think this is appropriate! Where would we even go?” asked Rei.

“Haru-chan lives alone! We can throw the party at his house!” 

“I think the last thing Haruka-senpai wants to do is play host!”

“Awww, but Rei-chan!” Nagisa pouted. 

“I’m okay with it,” said Haru, with a shrug. 

So that’s how the six of them ended up going back to Haru’s house. Nagisa set up his iPod to blast music, which made it hard to hear much else. “Nagisa-kun, turn that down!” screamed Rei, covering his ears. 

“Rei-chan, you’re such a buzz kill! We just need to get a few more people and then we can get this party started!” 

“Nagisa-kun...”

Nagisa pulled out his cell phone and was about to make the first call. Makoto walked over, and pulled the cell phone out of Nagisa’s hands. “Mako-chan, what gives?”

“I don’t think Haru wants anymore guests.” Nagisa was about to argue, but the expression on Makoto’s face made him clamp his mouth shut, and just nod. Haru released a sigh. Makoto was a lifesaver. 

By the time everyone finally left, it was past midnight. Haru closed to door behind the last guest, and turned to look at Makoto who looked as tired as Haru felt. The two of them curled up on the couch and within minutes, they were fast asleep. 

 

A week later, there was a knock on Haru’s door. “I’ll get it,” called Makoto. 

Upon answering the door, they found Nagisa clad in a red and green sweater and a pair of antlers. Behind Nagisa, in similar attire, were Rei, Rin, Gou, and Aiichiro. “Mako-chan, Haru-chan, get ready! We’re going caroling!” 

Haru walked over to the door to stand next to Makoto. “No.” 

Nagisa frowned. “Why not?”

Haru hesitated. He had wanted to spend the morning with Makoto and only Makoto, but he couldn’t exactly voice that. “We’ll be out in a minute, Nagisa,” said Makoto. Haru gave him a look, but it seemed Makoto was purposely ignoring him. 

“What are you doing?” asked Haru once Makoto closed the door. 

“Come on, it’ll be fun! Nagisa looks really excited about caroling. It’ll be good to get out of the house.” 

Haru sighed. “Okay, fine.” He threw on his coat, put his wallet in his pocket, and pulled on his shoes. Next to him, Makoto did the same. Then, he bent down and gave Haru a quick kiss. Haru smiled. Maybe he could do this after all. 

The group headed to downtown Iwatobi. Once there, Nagisa passed out papers to everyone. Rei received a bell and then the seven of them began their slightly tone deaf rendition of “Jingle Bells” as they walked down the street. Everywhere they looked, shops were covered from top to bottom in Christmas decorations. They passed the movie theater, which headlined the movie “Soul Mate Disaster,” a quirky romantic comedy about a girl who ended up with the soul mate from hell. After traveling up and down the street a few times, Nagisa turned the group into a residential neighborhood. “Jingle Bells” turned into “Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” which turned into “Deck the Halls.” They rang multiple houses, and sang for many people. Some reactions were positive. One old woman asked them to do encore after encore until they had run through every song in their booklet. Some were less positive. One very angry man chased them off of his property, banishing a mop over his head while he screamed. Song after song, Nagisa’s voice got louder and louder. Rei’s ringing failed to have any rhythm. When it started to get dark, Nagisa finally decided to pack it in for the night. 

Tired and cold, with horse voices, the group walked into the local grocery store. “Okay, guys, get anything you can think of!” ordered Nagisa.

“What? Why?” asked Rin. 

“We’re going back to Haru-chan’s place and making hot pot!” 

“I never said you could do that,” said Haru.

“Come on, Haru-chan! Please?” begged Nagisa, rubbing his head against Haru’s shoulder. 

Haru sighed. “Okay, fine.” 

Hot pot had become a bit of a tradition among the friend group when, two summer ago, Sasabe, Iwatobi’s coach, treated the team to hot pot at his house. While the dish had been totally inappropriate in the summer, the group proceeded to get together in the winter and eat it. As a result, they all knew exactly what to get. Gou went straight for the vegetables, dragging Rin after her, and naturally Aiichiro ran after them. They picked up lettuce, carrots, bok choy, cabbage, bean sprouts, and more. Nagisa and Rei headed for the meat section, getting a slab of beef, and picking up tofu on the way. At the very last minute, they grabbed some chicken. Haru ran straight for the seafood section. There was one thing he was here for: mackerel. Makoto walked after him at a slower pace, adding various other seafood items into their haul. 

They regrouped at the front of the grocery store to tally up how much everything would cost. Between the seven of them, they had just enough money to afford everything. Once everything was paid for, they trekked to Haru’s house. Haru pulled out his hot pot and Makoto began preparing the stock. Everyone couldn’t wait to throw in what they had purchased. First was the beef, which caused a delicious scent to waft through the house. The chicken was next and then the seafood, which Haru found particularly mouth-watering. The last to go in was the vegetables and tofu. 

When the food was ready, Haru placed the hot pot in the middle of the kitchen table and the group dug in. “This is so good!” said Gou, practically drooling. Everyone else couldn’t help but share the sentiment. 

“This is good! Thank you so much, everyone!” said Aiichiro. 

Rin hummed as he bit into some lobster. While everyone was distracted by the fantastic feast in front of them, Makoto said, “Do you regret going caroling now, Haru?” The only response Haru gave him was a smile, but that was answer enough. 

 

Christmas came to Iwatobi. Rin and Gou left on vacation with their mother and cousins. This would be the last Christmas Rin would spend without his soul mate, and the Matsuokas wanted to make the most of it. Nagisa and his family left for the huge Hazuki family reunion. Rei was still around, but all of his time was spent with visiting relatives. Haru himself was going to Tokyo to see his parents. As much as he knew he was going to miss his friends, he was looking forward to seeing his parents. They were coming to pick him up, and would take him to their apartment. Afterward Christmas, the entire family was traveling back to Iwatobi for Haru’s soul mate ceremony. 

On the twenty-third, Haru woke up bright and early. He skipped his morning soak, and gathered up everything he was taking to his parents’. At eleven, he walked out of his house, and sat down on the curb. He didn’t want to hold his parents up, after all. They had a long drive back to Tokyo, and he knew his dad would want to beat the traffic. 

Haru looked up to the Tachibana house. Makoto would be spending Christmas with his family like he did every year. They probably wouldn’t see each other again until the soul mate ceremony. He could still feel the good bye kiss Makoto had given to him the day before. 

Slowly, eleven o’clock turned into twelve. Haru began to worry, but he figured it was just traffic. He continued to wait. Even more time passed. Noon turned to one in the afternoon. At one thirty, his phone rang. He picked it up. “Hello?”

It was his mother. “Haru! I’m so sorry, but there’s been an emergency at work. Your father and I are flying out to America tonight. I’m so sorry, but we won’t be coming to pick you up.” 

“What?”

“Sorry, honey. We’ll be back by your soul mate ceremony. Merry Christmas!” With that, his mother hung up. 

Haru stared at his cell phone in complete shock for a few moments. He hadn’t seen his parents in months. It might have even been a year. He knew his parents were busy with work, but he had been looking forward to seeing them at Christmas. Sure, they promised that they would be there for his soul mate ceremony, but if they had broken this promise, how could he believe they would keep that one?

With a dejected sigh, Haru slowly stood up and went to collect his suitcase. He really shouldn’t have expected anything else. 

“Haru, what are you still doing here?” called a familiar voice. Haru turned around to see Makoto staring at him in surprise from across the street. Great. Makoto was the last person he wanted to see. Haru sprinted as fast as he could into his house, and slammed the front door behind him, but Makoto caught it, and followed him in. “Haru, what’s wrong?” 

Haru knew he couldn’t keep something like this from Makoto, even if he wanted to. “They promised they’d come, but then Mom called and... and something came up with work, and she said I can’t spend Christmas with them.”

“Oh... Haru...” 

“It’s okay, they do this all the time.”

“It’s still not right. You can come spend Christmas with us. I’m sure my mom won’t mind.”

“No, I don’t want to impose.”

“You’re not going to be imposing. You’re practically family, anyway. I insist you come over. You can’t spend Christmas by yourself.” With that, Makoto picked up Haru’s suitcase, and slung it over his shoulder. Haru reluctantly followed him back to the Tachibana house. 

“Oh, Makoto, you’re back! Did you bring the groceries?” asked Makoto’s mom from the kitchen as they walked in. 

“Oh, I totally forgot! I can run and get them, but… Mom, can Haru stay with us for Christmas?”

Mrs. Tachibana walked over to them with a warm smile on her face. “Oh, Haru, of course, as long as you don’t mind sleeping on the couch. I’m afraid with my parents coming tomorrow, it’s the best I can offer.”

“No, that’s fine. Thank you. And don’t hesitate to kick me out, I really don’t want to impose,” said Haru. 

“Nonsense, dear. You’re always welcome. Makoto, be a dear and bring Haru’s stuff to your room. And then actually get the groceries.” 

“Right away, Mom!” Makoto picked up Haru’s suitcase and carried it to his room as instructed. Haru followed him. “I do actually have to leave to get groceries. You can come with me if you want, or you can stay here. Either way, I’ll be back soon.”

Haru curled his hand around Makoto’s and squeezed. “I’m coming with you.” 

Early Christmas Eve, Makoto’s grandparents arrived, and showered their grandkids with lots of kisses. They were kind people, and never once questioned why Haru was at the Tachibana house and not with his own family. Haru couldn’t help but be reminded of his late grandmother who, if he had to be completely honest, had been to the one who had really raised him.

Haru stayed in Makoto’s house even after Christmas ended. Returning to his empty house during the holiday season seemed far too depressing, and he liked spending time with the Tachibanas. Not being able to express his true feelings for Makoto was hard, but the quick kiss here or there when no one was looking was enough. It didn’t even matter anyway because the soul mate ceremony was drawing closer. Soon, Haru would be able to stay with the Tachibana’s forever.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go me for uploading this in a timely fashion after the last chapter! I'm hoping to get up at least another chapter before I go back to college in a week. But this chapter marks the end of what I consider to be "part one" of the story.

The day before the ceremony, Haru and Makoto went down to Haru’s house to clean up. Haru’s parents would be coming the next day; the house needed to be spotless. Over the last week, Haru barely spent any time there so there wasn’t much junk to put away. What he did find was that there was a lot more dust and dirt than anticipated. He was grateful that Makoto was there to help. The job would have taken far too long by himself, and it was already dark by the time the two of them finished. They probably would have finished earlier, but every so often they found themselves kissing each other senseless. 

Makoto accepted Haru’s invitation to spend the night. For dinner, Haru made squid instead of mackerel because it was Makoto’s favorite. Afterwards, they curled up on the couch to watch TV. When it was time to go to bed, Makoto pulled out the extra futon he always used. Haru awkwardly toed at the floor. Before he could chicken out, he said, “Wanna sleep in my bed?”

Makoto’s head snapped up, and he stared at Haru, wide eyed. “No, no, don’t worry about! It’s your bed, you should sleep in it. I’ll take the floor.”

“I mean, sleep in my bed with me.” When Makoto went bright red, Haru quickly said, “Not like that. Just normal sleeping.” When Haru thought what would happen the following day, it made him want to hold Makoto close and never let go. “If you don’t want to, I understand.”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll sleep in your bed.” Makoto rolled up the futon, and stored it in its rightful place. Haru climbed into bed, flicking off the lights. He felt Makoto slip in besides him. He moved closer to Makoto, and pressed his hand against Makoto’s face. He felt around for his lips, and then leaned over, capturing Makoto’s mouth in a goodnight kiss.

“Good night, Makoto.”

Haru felt Makoto smile. “Good night, Haru.” 

 

The two of them woke up the following morning wrapped in each other. Makoto dragged Haru out of bed with a bite to his shoulder. Haru, still sleepy, stumbled out to the bathroom to take a bath. Makoto would get him out when it was time. 

When Haru finally made it out of the bathroom, Makoto leaned over and whispered in his ear, “Today’s the day,” as if saying it loudly would destroy everything. 

A warm feeling spread across Haru’s chest. He looked up at Makoto, and tentatively said, “We can be together after today.” Makoto smiled, and pressed a kiss to Haru’s temple. 

Haru’s parents arrived about half-an-hour after Makoto left. His mother walked in talking up a storm on her cell phone. His dad gave him a pat on the back, and asked him what his plans were now that he’d graduated.

“Well, I got into the local university,” said Haru.

“That’s my boy! You excited to know your soul mate?”

Haru felt his heart rate speed up. “Yeah, I am.” He knew he was blushing. 

“Thinking of someone specific, eh? Well, just remember to keep your mind open. Even if it’s not whatever cutie you have your eyes on, the person you get is your soul mate, after all. They’re the perfect person for you. Just look how great your mom and I are. She was this really popular girl in high school, and I was just some kid on the track team, but now we couldn’t be happier!” 

At that moment, Haru’s mom walked back into the room. “Sorry about that, Haruka! You can never really get a break when it comes to work. How’s my boy doing?” She pulled him in for a hug. Haru awkwardly accepted it. 

An hour later, they loaded themselves into the car, and drove off to the soul mate ceremony. When they pulled into the driveway, it was clear that the Nanases’ car, a high end Acura, was by far the nicest in the lot. Haru knew it was not the nicest car his parents owned. 

The community center was packed. Haru signed in at the door, and was given a large, white badge with his name on it. Most of the people wearing the same badges were of comparable age to Haru, but he saw a few that looked to be nearing their thirties. 

“Haru!” He felt someone grab him by his shoulders. Looking to his right, he saw the one and only Matsuoka Rin, wearing a familiar grin. Behind him stood a nervous Makoto and a cheerful Gou. The Tachibanas and Rin’s mother were standing behind them, locked in a conversation. 

“Haruka-senpai, don’t look so glum! Today’s your big day!” said Gou. 

“Haru always looks like a sourpuss. It’s no surprise today isn’t any different,” said Rin, breaking out into laughter. 

Gou rolled her eyes. “You’re all so lucky! I have to wait another year.” 

“It’s not that big of a deal, Gou-chan. And anyway, it’ll be here before you know it,” said Makoto. Haru caught Makoto’s gaze and gave him a small smile. 

“I hope so! I really want to meet him… or her, I suppose. But I really hope it’s a him,” said Gou. 

“I’m sure they’ll be wonderful, Gou-chan,” said Makoto.

“If not, I’ll kick their teeth in and make them treat my sister properly!” said Rin. Gou giggled. 

Suddenly, there was a loud, shrill noise. Haru winced and covered his ears. “Sorry about that, folks,” called a voice. Haru just barely recognized it as the town’s mayor. “Thank you everyone for coming. If visitors could take their seats, and all participants could make it to the front of the room, we’d like to begin now.” 

“Oniichan, good luck! Bye, everyone!” said Gou. With that, she followed her mother over to the seating area. Makoto, Haru, and Rin walked to the front of the room as instructed. A woman with a clipboard walked around and wrote down everyone’s name. 

The microphone shrieked again. “Can someone fix this dumb thing?” screeched the mayor. “Well, no matter. As you know, we have all gathered here today for a soul mate ceremony. Everyone at the front of the room is of age to receive their soul mate. They will leave today with the name of their special someone – hopefully! Once my speech is finished, all of these nice folks will file into the door behind me in alphabetical order to face the Love Calculator!” He put down the microphone to shuffle around some papers only for it to go off again. “Okay, I give up! I’m not going to use this!” He turned off the microphone, and tossed it onto the floor. Haru was more than certain his voice was loud enough to not warrant it in the first place.

“As you all know, the Love Calculator is a time honored tradition! It has led to stronger marriages, more successful children, and far better attitudes towards love. What issues can there be if you know with whom you’re going to be happiest with? The problems of our ancestors like cheating, STDs, and prostitution have all been eradicated! We have created a much more morally upright and happy society! And now, these lucky people are here to try and achieve the same level of happiness as many of us have in the past! But I must warn everyone that not everyone shall be receiving their soul mate today. Some of you might have a soul mate that is not of age yet. Don’t fear! You have next year to get their name! The Love Calculator never fails in delivering the happiness you deserve! There’s really nothing better than to be marked with the name of the one you are destined to love the most.

“Now, without further ado – participants! As soon as you hear your name, please walk into the door behind me to meet your one true love!” 

The list was long, much longer than Haru ever could have imagined. It felt like ages had gone by when his name was finally called. A young woman met him on the other side of the door. “Nanase-san? Follow me.” She grabbed his arm, and led him down the hall into a room. The room looked like a doctor’s office, but the one difference was the giant monitor. She pushed him into a chair. “Alright Nanase-san, I’m going to start up the Love Calculator in a moment. It’s going to ask you a series of questions before giving you your soul mate. Good luck!” She pressed a button on the side of the monitor, and left.

A blue stick figure popped up. “Welcome, Nanase Haruka! I am the Love Calculator. Today, we’re going to find out your perfect person.” The voice was soothing and female. “What is your birthday, Nanase?” 

“June 30th, 20XX.” 

“Hometown?”

“Iwatobi.” 

“Career plan for the following year?”

“University.” 

“For the following questions, please answer “yes,” “no,” or “I don’t know.” Please be as honest as possible.” The computer paused for a moment and then said, “Do you find it easy to introduce yourself to other people?” 

Haru thought about it. “No.” 

“Are you an impatient person?” 

“Not really?”

“Yes, no, or I don’t know, Nanase-san?”

“No.” 

The personality questions continued on for some time. As time passed, Haru slid farther and farther in his seat. Finally, there was a loud “ding!” 

“Thank you, Nanase! You’ve finished the personality questionnaire. I’ll combine that with the information uploaded by your parents and schoolteachers. Your soul mate is now processing.” With that, the program shut off, and Haru was left in silence. Within a few minutes, he would know who his soul mate was, but it didn’t matter. He already knew. 

Suddenly, the door was pulled open, and the young woman walked back into the room. “Nanase-san, your results are ready! After I tell you who your soul mate is, I’ll tattoo their name on your collarbone. Are you ready?” She waited for a response that Haru wasn’t going to give. “Not the talkative type, I see. Okay, well…” She looked down at the clipboard in her arms.

“Congratulations, Nanase-san. Your soulmate is Matsuoka Rin.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this chapter was quick to edit so I guess you get it super soon! So yeah, enjoy!

As soon as Haru made it out of the room, his parents grabbed him, and pulled him into the car. “Sorry, Haruka, but your mother and I have to be in the city as soon as possible. I wish we could stay, but business is business. Congratulations! When you and your soul mate settle in together, do visit us,” said his father while his mother chatted animatedly on the phone. Haru was deposited in front of his house, and his parents sped away. At least they had stayed as long as they did.

Haru stripped off his clothes, and climbed into the bathtub. His thoughts felt muddy and clouded. A giant anvil had been dropped onto his heart. Most of all, he felt numb, like the last few hours were nothing but a horrible dream. It felt like he had lost something important, but had he really? Was Makoto even his to begin with? He had been a fool to think that he would be with Makoto forever. Hot tears slipped down his cheeks, and mixed with the bath water. His body shook as he struggled to contain his sobs.

Time passed, and all Haru did was waste away in the bathtub. On the rare occasion he would leave his sanctuary, it was because his growling stomach got too loud to ignore. At first, all he would eat was mackerel. Then, he ran out, and started creating various disgusting concoctions. 

His thoughts always, without fail, went back to Makoto. To Makoto’s smile. To Makoto’s hugs. To Makoto’s sweet kisses. His brain was a broken record.

In the middle of the second week, there was a knock on the front door. Lethargically, Haru answered it. A smiling Rin stood on the other side. Haru frowned, and slammed the door in his face.

“What the fuck, Haru? Open the fucking door!” screamed Rin. Haru said nothing, but walked back to the couch. All he wanted to do was scream. How dare Rin show up to his house? What gave him the right? Haru knew logically this wasn’t Rin’s fault, but Rin should have known that he was the last person Haru wanted to see. 

Rin slammed his fist against the door. “You can’t stay locked in there forever!” He screamed for a while, his words becoming more and more nonsensical as time passed. After a while, he grew quiet, and Haru figured Rin had gone home. Haru breathed a sigh of relief; it had been quite annoying. 

But the following day, Rin returned. This time, Haru didn’t even answer the door. “Holy fuck, Haru! You need to talk to me! I’m sorry this happened, okay? I don’t like this anymore than you do, but you have to come out and talk to me! Or someone else, if not me! Fuck, you can’t stay cooped up in there forever!” 

The day after that, Rin returned again. “Seriously, Haru! Do you really think you should be mad at me? This isn’t my fucking fault! I’m not fucking here as your soul mate! Or have you forgotten that we’re friends?” 

Rin returned again. And again. Every day, he would stand outside of Haru’s door and bang on it, begging for him to come out. Haru learned to ignore it. Yet, Rin still returned. A week passed, and every day, Rin was there, screaming his lungs out. Haru was surprised his neighbors hadn’t chased him away yet. 

Eventually, Haru ran out of food. He opened his fridge to find a half empty bottle of water and an open bag of cheese. Haru considered just eating the bag of cheese and returning to the bathtub, but he realized that he would need to eat something for dinner. He closed the fridge, and moved towards his bedroom. He stuffed himself into a pair of jeans, a sweater, a warm coat, and some boots. The sweater felt itchy against his skin, and he thought about giving up and just letting himself starve, but the grocery store wasn’t that far. He would be there and back before he knew it. 

Haru pulled open the door and came face to face with Rin. He silently cursed. He’d been so focused on his empty belly that he’d forgotten about Rin. 

“Haru!” 

Haru shoved his hands in his pockets, and pushed past Rin. He was just going to get groceries. He didn’t want to deal with this. 

Naturally, Rin had other plans. He grabbed Haru’s arm, and stopped him in his tracks. “Haru, fucking talk to me. You’re acting like such a fucking asshole! Fuck, this isn’t my fault! You know this isn’t my fault so stop acting like it is. You know that if it were up to me, you’d be with Makoto right now so cut the shit.” Haru glared, and tugged his arm out of Rin’s grasp, but the next thing out of Rin’s mouth made him pause. “I’m not here to ask you to be a good soul mate to me, or to marry me, or any other pointless bullshit that I know won’t happen, but why can’t I continue to be your friend?” 

Haru looked up at Rin, and sighed. Rin, who had shown up every day because he knew Haru was in a funk. Rin, who, despite being completely ignored by Haru, still banged on his door. Rin, who was the only person to actually make sure Haru wasn’t dead. He knew he was being ridiculous. This wasn’t Rin’s fault. Rin was probably just as lost as he was. “Okay. I’m going to the store.”

The two of them walked to the supermarket half a mile away in complete silence. Haru was used to Makoto filling the quiet, and the atmosphere made him uneasy. At the supermarket, Haru filled up a shopping cart with nothing but mackerel and rice. He was about to go pay when Rin stopped him. “Are you serious? That’s all you’re getting?” Haru stared at Rin with a blank expression. Rin sighed, and dragged Haru deeper into the store. He filled Haru’s cart with vegetables, fruit, chicken, cheese, milk, yogurt, and various other products. When they finished, Rin stood triumphantly in front of Haru. “There. That’s how you restock your fridge.” 

Haru stared at the pile with a frown. “All I need is mackerel.” 

“You’re gonna get mercury poisoning one of these days from eating that much fish. I don’t need you dropping dead on me. Come on. I’ll even cook you dinner, free of charge.”

“You don’t need to fuss over me just because you’re my soul mate.” 

“I told you, I don’t care about that. Now come on!”

Rin watched Haru pay for his groceries, and then the two of them returned to Haru’s house. As promised, Rin cooked while Haru sat in silence at the table. The meal consisted of a sautéed chicken dish over rice with a side of vegetables. Rin was by no means an amazing cook, but compared to what Haru had been eating over the last few weeks, it tasted like it was from a five star restaurant. 

The next day, Rin returned. Haru let him in without any complaints. Rin suggested they leave the house, but as he had no idea where to go and Haru was unhelpful as usual, the two of them stayed inside and watched TV all day. 

The day after that, Rin dragged Haru to the nearby pool. Because Rin had been scouted, he needed to stay in shape. This meant swimming two or three hours a day every day. As Rin swam laps, Haru aimlessly glided through the pool. 

From then on, Rin showed up to Haru’s house most afternoons. Sometimes, Haru followed Rin on whatever adventure he’d cook up. But other times, Haru just let Rin into the house, and ignored him. It was on those days especially that Haru kept glancing at the Tachibana house, unable to get Makoto out of his head. It was like the wound had been reopened. 

But as days turned into weeks, Rin helped Haru slowly drag himself out of his pit of despair, and Haru looked toward the Tachibana house less and less.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the semi-long awaited chapter you all wanted! I'm hoping to get at least one more chapter uploaded before I go back to college on the 13th. If not, this is one of the longer chapters so I hope this can tide you guys over for a while!
> 
> NOTE: The sex ed stuff should not actually taken to heart. While some of it is accurate, it's saturated with a lot of terrible advice. But we wouldn't have a dytopia if things weren't fucked up.

One day, instead of Rin showing up at Haru’s doorstep in the late morning, it was Gou. Haru was surprised to see her, but it was nice to see a familiar face. He hadn’t seen her since the soul mate ceremony. “If you’re looking for your brother, he’s not here.” 

“That’s okay. I’m here to see you. How have you been, Haruka-senpai?” Haru shrugged because it was the most honest answer he could give her. It must have been enough for Gou because she didn’t pry. “Anyway, I thought I would come give you the good news personally! Guess what happened? We got some new members for the swim club! Finally, after two years! Nagisa-kun and Rei-kun are over the moon!”

Haru gave her a small smile. This was great news. With new members, the club would continue to operate. “Congratulations.”

“It’s too bad you graduated before it happened. They have a lot of work to do before they’re competition worthy, but it’s not a big deal. I mean, Rei-kun couldn’t swim when he first joined, but look at him now! I’m sure we’re gonna make it to nationals!”

“I’m glad the team is doing well.”

“You should come visit. Makoto-senpai ca- ah! I mean, yeah, you should come visit!”

Haru awkwardly blinked at her. “Um… yeah. Just tell me when a good time would be.” 

“Any time, really. I’m sure everyone would love to see you!” 

Haru made a mental note to go visit his old swim club. Maybe he could convince Rin to go with him on one of their outings. “Would you like anything to eat? A snack or something?”

“Um… sure. Only if it’s not too much trouble.”

“No trouble at all. I was just about to make something.” Haru walked into the kitchen, and began shuffling through the pantry. 

Gou stuck her head in. “So how’s life with my brother? Are you two getting along?”

Haru gave her a confused look as he put a bag of popcorn in the microwave. “Okay, I guess. Haven’t you talked to Rin about it?”

“I have, but I wanted to hear about it from you. We’re friends, you know. I just want to make sure that you’re okay.”

Haru shrugged. “I didn’t choose this.”

“Neither of you did, but now you’re here. You can at least try to make the most of it.”

Haru shrugged again, and pulled a bottle of lemonade out of the refrigerator. “I didn’t think it would be Rin of all people.” He pulled two cups out, and poured the lemonade into them. 

Gou took one of the lemonade glasses from Haru, and took a sip. “Did you really think it was going to be anyone besides…” She let the sentence hang in the air; they both knew she didn’t need to finish it. “My brother is a good person, Haruka-senpai, and he’s your friend. Please try, if not for yourself, then for him.” She turned to walk away, but not before adding, “Please try to fall in love with him. That’s all I’m asking.”

With that, she was gone. Haru was left standing with a bag of popcorn in his hands. 

 

Rin came over that night just in time for dinner. By that point, the scent of grilled fish was already floating throughout the house. Haru breathed in the scent. It was heavenly. He pushed the spatula under the mackerel, and flipped it over. It hissed as it landed back onto the pan. “Smells good, Haru!” said Rin as he walked into the kitchen. 

Haru deemed the fish ready, and turned off the stove. He set down two plates. Rin dug into the fish, a pleased expression on his face. Meanwhile, Haru picked at his food. He couldn’t get what Gou had said out of his head. 

“Something on your mind?” asked Rin.

“No... not really... I was just thinking that if you want to move in here, you can.” 

Rin’s eyes grew wide as saucers, and he nearly choked on the rice he was eating. “What?” 

“I said you could move in, if you want.” 

“I know that, but where did this come from?” Rin narrowed his eyes in confusion. 

“Our situation,” Haru still didn’t like to call them soul mates and neither did Rin, “isn’t going to go away. You come here pretty much every day anyway. You might as well move in.”

“Are you sure about this?”

Haru nodded. 

“I’ll pack up my stuff and bring it over tomorrow.” 

The next day, Rin moved into the empty guest room. His toiletries covered the bathroom, intermingling with Haru’s. Every morning, Haru was reminded of the name etched onto his collarbone in small font. He tried not to think about it, but it wasn’t always easy. Rin wasn’t a messy person, but he made himself at home faster than Haru had expected. 

Haru discovered that every morning, Rin went down to the swimming pool. Haru started to go with him on occasion, but most days, Haru just crawled into the bathtub after making Rin breakfast. Every time he would do that, Rin made him promise to not stay in all day. Sometimes, Haru listened, and crawled out around one to do some chores. Sometimes, when his body felt like a rock, he’d fell asleep, and would be roused by a disappointed Rin. Haru didn’t care for Rin’s judgment; the bathtub was where he felt sane. 

But at the end of the day, Rin wasn’t a bad roommate.   
One Saturday morning, Haru came into the kitchen to start breakfast only to find Rin already there. “Oh, Haru! You’re up! I was just gonna come get you. Today’s the sex seminar.”

Haru stared at Rin, not sure he heard right. “The what?”

“The sexual education seminar. Don’t you remember? They talked about it at the soulmate ceremony after we got assigned. One month after the soulmate ceremony, we have to go to a seminar on sex. Well, today’s that day.”

Haru didn’t remember this at all. He remembered the woman rambling about something after he was told his soulmate, but he was so shell-shocked that all he could do was nod. Whatever she had said went in one ear and out the other.

They left soon after breakfast, and Haru discovered that the seminar was held at Iwatobi High. Walking through the halls, Haru felt a flood of nostalgia. No matter where he looked, a memory of him and Makoto popped up. Him and Makoto sitting in a classroom. Him and Makoto walking down the hall. He’d managed to keep his heartbreak at bay most days, but he’d spent so much time with Makoto in high school. It was hard to ignore his thoughts. 

“Yo, Haru! We’re in here,” called Rin. Haru turned to look at him. Rin waved him into a classroom. 

The classroom was filled with about ten other couples animatedly talking among each other. The ages were fairly varied, but the oldest person couldn’t have been older than twenty-five. Most of the couples were over the moon with each other, but a few couldn’t even make eye contact. It made Haru feel a little better about his own predicament with Rin, but he couldn’t help the wave of guilt that washed over him. 

Haru and Rin sat down in two empty desks in the back. The teacher walked into the room a minute later. He had an apathetic expression on his face, and looked like he wanted to be anywhere else. “Hello my name is... oh hell, why does it even matter? This is the sex education seminar. Let me quickly take attendance.” He read out the names of everyone in the room. Two girls in the front, when their names were called, happily sighed and looked at each other with a smile.

“Anyway, now that all of you have gotten acquainted with your soul mate, you might be wondering, what now? Well, usually it’s sex. The thing is, I’m sure you all know something about it. The media is saturated with it. So I’m here to make sure that you all know how to do it safely. Only heterosexual sex can result in children so it’s important that you hetero pairings stay protected. None of you are allowed to have kids until you’re twenty-five to ensure that you’re all financially able to support a child. Those of you that are able to bare children naturally, you have to make sure to use condoms! There are two types of condoms: condoms for the penis and condoms for the vagina.” The teacher pulled out a banana and a condom from his backpack. Haru heard Rin make a choking sound. “This type of condom gets rolled over the penis like so.” The teacher opened the condom, and rolled it down onto the banana. “Make sure that there’s some space at the end so sperm can collect. Now, I can’t really show you how a vagina condom works, but it’s inserted into the vagina. There’s also the birth control pill, which can be taken to stop you from getting pregnant. There are also various types of injections and devices. If you want to know the details, talk to your doctor on which kind of birth control is right for you. If you are not one of those couples that can get pregnant, then it doesn’t really matter if you use protection. You’re only having intercourse with each other so it’s not like you can get STDs. 

“Now, as most of you are aware, you cannot have your first child until the youngest in the pairing is twenty-five. This ensures that more couples are able to financially support their children, and that fewer children are left unwanted. If you accidentally find yourself pregnant, you must have an abortion. Or, if your child is able to be self-sufficient outside of your body, your child is taken from you and given to an older couple. For those of you who cannot naturally conceive, there are a few options once you are of age. One option is artificial insemination. We pair up a gay and a lesbian couple, and fertilize their sperm and eggs together. This can all be done in a lab, no sex needed. Then the fertilized eggs are implanted into one of the women, and the children are carried to term. Typically, two children are conceived, one for each couple. Another option is adoption. Despite our best attempts, there are still unwanted children, and any of you are welcome to adopt one.” Haru found the whole seminar pointlessly boring. He still hadn’t come to terms with the fact that Rin was his soul mate. Sex and children was definitely out of the question for the time being, if not ever. He turned to look at Rin, only to find that Rin had fallen asleep. 

The seminar lasted about two hours. The two of them left feeling much sleepier, and not much more educated. They decided to go see a movie, some science fiction flick that Rin was dying to see. Just as expected, Rin was speechless in the first five minutes. Haru couldn’t seem to get into it. He couldn’t stop thinking about his relationship with Rin. After seeing all the happy couples at the seminar, he felt like they weren’t getting anywhere. Even though Rin had moved in with him, Haru didn’t feel like he was getting any closer to falling in love with Rin. 

They left the theater, and Rin started chattering animatedly about the movie. When it was obvious that Haru wasn’t listening, Rin frowned. “Sorry, am I boring you?”

“Huh? No, of course not.”

“Then say something. You watched the movie, too! I want to hear your thoughts about it.”

Haru shrugged. “It was okay.”

“Okay? That was a cinematic masterpiece!”

“Alright, it was a cinematic masterpiece.”

“Dammit, Haru! That’s my opinion, not yours! What did you think of it?”

“It was okay.”

“’Okay’ is not a fucking opinion! What did you feel about the characters? The plot? The writing? Come on, Haru, give me something! Did you like it or didn’t you?”

“It was okay.”

When Rin first met Haru, he would have gotten mad at Haru for saying stuff like this. Instead, he sighed. “Okay, what do you want to do now?”

“Let’s go to the beach.”

“Uh, Haru? It’s barely February. Why would we go to the beach?”

Haru shrugged. “Because I want to.”

“Okay, for the sake of not dying of hypothermia, let’s do something else. We can get food.”

In the end, Rin and Haru failed to agree on anything, and ended up going home. Even though this was how his friendship with Rin had always been, Haru still felt like he had hit a wall. 

 

In March, the Iwatobi High School Swim Club opened their pool, and Haru decided to stop in for a visit. He invited Rin to come with him, but Rin declined. When Haru entered the pool area, Rei and Nagisa swarmed him with calls of, “We missed you so much!” and “It’s so good to see you!” The newbies looked on in confusion. They had no idea who Haru was. They were all first years, and within ten minutes, it was obvious that Gou had been right. They didn’t know what they were doing. But terrible teammates were better than no teammates. At least they would keep the club going for the time being. As for the senior members, Rei, the captain, and Gou, still the manager, attempted to formulate a practice regime for the following week. Nagisa, the vice-captain, splashed around with the first years. Nothing much had changed. Haru couldn’t lie; it was good to be among friends again. 

As formal practice began, Haru joined Gou off to the side, and looked on so that he wouldn’t get in the way. He itched to get in the water, but he knew that would distract everyone. Gou gave him a smile, and said, “Thanks for coming. We all really did miss you. It’s almost like the whole team is back together.”

Haru knew that wasn’t true. He sighed and said, “Makoto’s not here.” 

Gou’s eyes grew wide. “O-oh…y-yeah… sorry, I didn’t think it was okay for me to talk about Makoto-senpai.” 

While it was true that the thought of Makoto still left an aching feeling in Haru’s heart, he knew that he had to get over him if he was to do right by Rin. Haru just shrugged. “It’s fine.” 

Gou’s expression softened. “Well, Makoto visited a lot at first, but he hasn’t been coming lately. Which I totally understand since he went to Tokyo a few weeks ago.”

Tokyo? Why was Makoto in Tokyo? “Is he there to see his soul mate?” Haru wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer. 

Gou made a dismissive motion. “Oh, no! You didn’t know? He’s there for an internship. Makoto-senpai’s a blank collar.”

“Blank collar?” Did that mean that Makoto wasn’t given a soul mate?

“Yeah. It was pretty surprising. He looked pretty devastated, but you know Makoto-senpai. He would never actually say if something was bothering him.”

Makoto, a blank collar? Makoto, of all people? Haru couldn’t believe it. “Well, there’s always next year.”

Gou was silent for a moment. Then she said, “Y-yeah…”

They sat in silence for a while, and then Haru said, “The first years don’t look too bad. I’m sure you can get them to be formidable by competition time.” 

“Well, the problem is that we haven’t found the talent to replace you or Makoto-senpai. I don’t think we have a shot at nationals this year. And Nagisa-kun, Rei-kun, and I are graduating. I’m worried about the future of the club.”

Haru didn’t know what to say. Telling her it was going to be okay seemed cheap and not worth his effort. At this point, Gou knew the affairs of the swim club far better than he did. She was probably right to worry. “As long as everyone tries their best, that’s all you can really ask for.”

Gou nodded. “I suppose so. Everyone is working so hard. I’m sure it’ll be alright in the end.” Then, she gave Haru a strange look. “Haruka-senpai, why are you here? As much as I love seeing you, I know you’re not one for small talk. So what is it?

Haru sighed. “You caught me. I wanted to ask you for help with your brother.”

“Onii-chan? What about him?”

“Even though I let him move in to my house, I don’t think things are improving between us. I don’t know what to do.”

“Are you asking me advice on how to date my brother?”

“Yeah, I guess I am. You know him better than anyone.”

Gou sighed. “This is kind of weird. He is my brother after all. This isn’t something I like to think about. I don’t know. Do more coupley stuff? Make him feel like he’s in a relationship with you. I think my brother feels like he’s lost his one shot at romance. Try to make him feel like he hasn’t.”

“I don’t know how to be in love with your brother. That’s why I’m here.”

“Well, fake it until it’s real. You can do that, right?”

“Um, no. How do I do that?

“Do I really have to spell it out for you?”

Haru gave her a confused look.

Gou sighed again. She was doing that a lot lately. “Pretend my brother is Makoto-senpai. It’s not like onii-chan is repulsive. Remind yourself of the feelings you felt for Makoto-senpai, and apply them to my brother. Do whatever it takes to make him believe you’re falling in love with him. Make him believe that you’re into this, too. Eventually, your feelings are bound to be real.”

It sounded impossible and absurd, but Haru knew it was his only chance. When he got home, Rin was laying on the couch, watching some show Haru didn’t recognize. Haru supposed it was now or never. “Yo, Haru, how’s Iwatobi doing?” called Rin, sticking his hand over the top of the couch.

Haru walked over to stand in front of the television. He had only removed his shoes, and was still wearing his coat. His palms felt clammy. He pushed down his nerves. “Let’s get married.”

Rin sat up instantly, eyes wide. “What?”

“At the end of this year, let’s get married.”

Rin looked taken aback. “Where did this come from?”

“That’s when most people get married, right? A year after they’re assigned each other? Why should we be any different? Let’s get married.”

Rin stood up slowly, as if moving fast would scare Haru away. “Okay. Yeah. You’re right. Let’s get married.” Rin started to laugh, and ran his hand through his hair. “This is the weirdest proposal ever.”

“Sorry, I don’t have a ring. I can get down on one knee if you want.”

Rin shook his head, and patted Haru on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it.” He smiled. Haru tried his best to smile back.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The madness continues. But for how much longer?

Within the week, wedding preparations were underway, and Haru found that he was definitely out of his depths. They had to decide where it would be, around what date they wanted it, who they wanted to invite… the list went on. There was just so much to plan. It was absolute chaos. Haru couldn’t understand why people got married in the first place. It seemed like such a hassle. He thought about taking back the proposal, but this is what soul mates did. He had to marry Rin.

Gou was ecstatic when she heard about their engagement. Rin had called her and an hour later, she was bouncing through the door with a smile on her face. “Congratulations, congratulations to you both!” To Haru, she had whispered, “Thank you, Haruka-senpai. I knew you would come around in the end. Onii-chan is so happy. Oh, but I guess I can call you Onii-chan now, too!”

Haru shook his head. “Please don’t. But you can call me Haru.”

As much as Haru didn’t want to admit it, Gou was right. Rin was happy. Haru supposed it was only to be expected. Before the ceremony, Rin had always been starry-eyed when he talked about his potential soul mate. Rin wanted romance, wanted to get married, wanted to have a wedding, wanted to fall in love. Instead, he got Haru. But now they were getting married. To Rin, it probably felt like he was getting some of that after all. 

Naturally, Gou couldn’t help but get involved. “Of course I have to be a part of this! This is my own brother’s wedding! Besides, you’re both horribly clueless about planning stuff. No, I have to help!” 

“Gou, I was captain of a large swim team my final year of high school,” protested Rin.

“Doesn’t matter. I’m helping!”

And that was the end of that discussion. Once Gou had her heart set on something, it was impossible to talk her out of it. The first day of wedding planning, she arrived with a long list. “I wasn’t sure what you wanted, but I did research, and made a list of places that you should consider to host your wedding. Both of you go through it and pick something. If you ask for the winter months, I’m sure most of these will have something available.”

By the end of that day, Haru felt like his head was spinning. He had stared at so many websites; there had been so many arguments. He had liked one place; Rin wasn’t impressed. Rin had liked one place; Haru thought it was boring or tacky. It went on and on. Sometimes the arguments dissolved into shouting matches, and Gou stepped in to play mediator. She was right; they really did need her. 

If Haru was honest, he was completely miserable, but he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. He had to try and stay positive. There was nothing he could do about it. This was his life now. 

They went out on dates, Rin and Haru. Haru didn’t want to go, but he forced himself to. Their first date was at a restaurant called Moreau. It didn’t really feel like a date, at least not how Haru had imagined it. It wasn’t like he had ever went on any with Makoto – that hadn’t been permitted – but their hang outs had more of a romantic atmosphere than his dates with Rin. The movies had Haru thinking dates consisted of soft glances, flirting, and plenty of love to go around. And sure, the restaurant had a romantic atmosphere, but it didn’t feel any different than any of the other times he had hung out with Rin. At best, Haru just felt awkward. He tried to be romantic and interesting, but all his efforts fell flat. Rin usually tried to hold Haru’s hand, and Haru let him, but it felt strange. Rin’s hand was all clammy and sweaty. Makoto’s hand – which, sure, was occasionally sweaty - had always felt warm and inviting. Holding Rin’s hand was different, and Haru couldn’t say he enjoyed it. Their hugs were marginally better, but it felt like hugging Nagisa or Gou or one of his other friends. They didn’t give him the warm, fluttery feeling that he expected. 

Haru could play the doting, loving soul mate, but he couldn’t make himself believe he was. He could tell that Rin noticed this, but said nothing about it. Guilt continued to eat away at Haru. He knew Rin deserved better, but he supposed he would get there eventually. Baby steps. 

Haru and Rin were sprawled out on the couch in early May, watching TV. Rin had his arm around Haru’s shoulders, and Haru was reluctantly cuddling into him. The show was some cop drama that Rin had been obsessing over lately. Haru didn’t really see the appeal, but he had nothing better to do. 

The show cut to commercials, and Rin turned to look at Haru . “Why don’t we try kissing?”

Haru shot Rin a confused look, and gave the most elegant response. “What?”

“Um… yeah… I was just thinking that we should try kissing. I’ve never kissed anyone, you know. So if I don’t kiss you, I can’t kiss anyone.” When Haru continued to silently stare at Rin, Rin shook his head and said, “Never mind, it’s pretty stupid.”

Haru sighed. He didn’t want to do this. “No, no, you’re right. We should kiss.”

A soft blush bloomed on Rin’s face, and he licked his lips. “Okay. Yeah. Okay.”

Slowly, Haru inched closer until their lips were mere centimeters away. He briefly hesitated, but then closed his eyes, and moved forward.

Kissing Rin was weird. Rin’s lips felt clumsy against his own. It took all his efforts not to compare kissing Rin to kissing Makoto. Haru didn’t really know what to do with his hands. Rin opened his mouth to deepen the kiss, and carded his hands through Haru’s hair. Haru jumped back, eyes wide, and shook Rin’s hands away from him. Rin was staring at him, breathing fast. Haru couldn’t handle it anymore. He jumped up from the couch, and ran to his room as fast as he could. The door slammed behind him. He collapsed onto the floor, mind spinning. He pulled his knees close, and pressed his head between them. He didn’t want to be there. He didn’t want to be here. He didn’t want to be here. This wasn’t happening. None of this was happening. This was all a terrible dream. He’d wake up. He’d be in bed. Makoto would be there, his arms wrapped around him. They’d be soul mates. Everything would be okay. 

But almost an hour later, when Haru disentangled himself from the floor, he was very much alone. 

Makoto was still in Tokyo, gone forever. 

 

Haru spent the rest of the day locked inside his room. He missed dinner, and Rin didn’t even come to get him. The next day, Haru slept until two in the afternoon, and then snuck out of the house. He didn’t really have any plans for where he was going, but he figured he’d walk around aimlessly until something caught his eye. 

It shouldn’t have been surprising when he ended up at the swimsuit store. In high school, he went there often, but since graduation, he hadn’t. There wasn’t much of a need to buy a new swimsuit now that he wasn’t swimming competitively anymore, but he couldn’t resist walking in. He brushed his fingers against the sleek fabric as he walked past, and looked for the familiar purple color that he always wore. One swimsuit caught his eye, and he pulled it out to take a better look. It was made of a comfortable material, and a little voice in the back of his head told him to try in on. Maybe getting a new swimsuit would be the perfect thing to get himself out of his funk. He turned around to go find the changing room when suddenly-

“Haru-chan!”

Haru spun around to see Nagisa sprinting in his direction, pulling a confused Rei behind him. “Haru-chan! Haru-chan!”

“It’s been a while, Haruka-senpai,” said Rei. “What brings you here?”

Haru shrugged. “Bored, didn’t have anywhere to be.”

“Why don’t you come hang out with us?” offered Nagisa. “Rei needs a new swimsuit. You can help us pick it out!”

Haru nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay, Rei-chan!” Nagisa pushed Rei into a changing room, and threw a bunch of swimsuits after him. “Try these on! Haru-chan, if you see any more swimsuits for Rei-chan, pass them over!”

The first swimsuit had green stripes traveling up the sides. “Nice fit,” said Rei.

“It’s okay, but I think we can do better,” said Nagisa. 

“Green’s not your color,” deadpanned Haru. 

The next swimsuit was light purple. “How about this one? I really like it.”

“That’s an option!” said Nagisa. He looked at Haru for his opinion, and Haru just shrugged.

Next was a penguin speedo. “Nagisa-kun, I can’t wear this! Otherwise, I would have worn the first speedo you gave me!” 

“I think it suits you, Rei-chan!”

“Nagisa-kun!”

The last swimsuit was black with dark purple stripes down the side. “Haruka-senpai, this looks exactly like your bathing suit!” 

“You always said that you wanted a beautiful swimsuit. Well, that’s one of the most beautiful ones in the store.”

“Haruka-senpai, you’re no help either!”

Rei ended up buying the light purple one, and the three of them left the store. Without realizing it, they had spent more than an hour shopping. Nagisa’s stomach growled. “Haruka-senpai, do you have to get back home to Rin-san, or would you like to join us for dinner?” asked Rei, chuckling at his blond friend. 

“No, I have nowhere to be. I would love to join you.” 

“How is Rin-san doing, anyway?”

“Fine.” Haru knew his response was too curt, but he didn’t want to talk about Rin. Yesterday’s events flashed in his mind. Rin’s lips on his own. Rin’s hand in his hair. He wanted to throw up. 

“Haru-chan, what’s wrong?” asked Nagisa. 

“Nothing. I’m fine.”

“Haru-chan… Is Rin-chan okay?”

“I…” Haru wanted to run away as fast as possible, but his legs were lead. Nagisa and Rei stared at him in concern, and it took all of his will power not to have a panic attack right then and there. 

“Haruka-senpai, did Rin-san hurt you?” asked Rei.

“No… no, nothing like that. I… We… I…”

Nagisa hugged Haru, and pulled Rei over so the three of them were tangled in a group hug. “Haru-chan, whatever it is, it’s not your fault. But you should probably talk to Rin-chan about it. I’m sure whatever it is, he’s worrying about it, too.”

“Y-yeah. You’re probably right.”

“If you don’t want to tell us what happened, that’s okay. I understand. But you should probably try to resolve whatever argument you’re in with Rin-san as soon as possible,” said Rei. 

Haru was quiet for a minute. Then, he said, “I should go home.” Nagisa and Rei detangled themselves. “It was nice seeing you both, but I guess I’m passing on the dinner offer.”

“We definitely should get dinner some time, though,” said Nagisa.

Haru nodded. “Sure. We’ll talk about it later, okay? I’ll see you around.”

“See you later, Haruka-senpai,” said Rei.

“Bye, Haru-chan! Good luck!” called Nagisa, waving his arm frankly after Haru. 

 

When Haru returned home, Rin was picking apart a melon in the kitchen. “Hey, Haru! Check out what my mom gave me today! Here, I’ll cut you a piece!”

Haru awkwardly took the piece of melon that was offered to him, blinking at Rin in surprise. He expected Rin to be moody, withdrawn. He expected Rin to ignore him, and for him to beg for Rin’s forgiveness. He didn’t expect to return to Rin offering him food. 

“Well, what are you waiting for? You’re kinda just staring. Do you not like melon?” asked Rin

“Ah… sorry.” Haru took a bite of the fruit. The juice exploded on his tongue, and he finished off the piece with a few more bites. It was delicious, and Haru was tempted to ask Rin for another, but he couldn’t get distracted. 

He was about to open his mouth to say something when Rin cut him off. “Sorry about yesterday. That was stupid. It was my first kiss so I guess I got a little carried away.”

Haru stared at him in shock. “No, no, it’s not your fault. It’s mine. I’ve been unfair to you.”

Rin rapidly shook his head. “Absolutely not. You don’t owe me anything. I was totally out of line.”

“Rin… we’re soul mates. I can’t continue acting like we’re not.”

Rin snapped. “That doesn’t mean you have to act like you’re in love with me! You don’t have to kiss me, and do romantic things with me if you don’t want to! I’m not gonna make you do that! I’m not an asshole, Haru!”

“But we’re gonna get married! And we if we can’t even kiss each other, how do you think that will look? If I was anyone else, you’d be so pissed off so don’t cut me any slack just because you feel bad for me!” Haru closed his eyes and sighed. “I have to get over Makoto no matter what. It’s been months. I’m not allowed to freak out anymore.”

“Haru-”

“No! Stop treating me like glass! If you want to kiss me, you should kiss me!”

“Okay… if you’re sure.” Rin leaned over, and gave Haru a quick peck on the lips. “This okay?”

Haru nodded, and Rin kissed him again, this time deepening the kiss. Haru fisted his shirt to stop himself from pushing Rin away. He could taste the melon Rin had been eating. Pulling back, Rin picked up the melon, and cut another piece. He waved it in front of Haru’s face, and Haru took a bite. The juice dripped down Haru’s face, and Rin pressed a napkin to Haru’s chin. “Thanks,” said Haru

“Do you want any more? Otherwise, I’m gonna put it in the fridge.” Haru shook his head. Then, he tentatively leaned over, and pressed a kiss to the corner of Rin’s mouth. He felt Rin smile.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, another chapter up! I leave to go back to college the day after tomorrow so this might be the last chapter for a while. I'm going to try my best to upload one more chapter before I leave. It'll be the perfect place to start a hiatus because I see chapter 12 as the beginning of the end. But if I'm unable to post chapter 11 in time, here's my hiatus warning. I'd like to say that I'll find time during college to work on this, but I know that's really really unlikely. Like I've said, this fic already has a written ending. I will not abandon it! I just have to find the time to edit. Just be patient! We'll get there eventually c:

Summer rolled in, and before Haru knew it, it was boiling hot. The summers in Iwatobi were humid, frighteningly so, and it made the heat that much more unbearable. Haru began to spend all of his free time in the water, whether it was at the beach or in the bathtub. At the same time, wedding planning was in full swing. With Haru and Rin both going off to college in the fall, the bulk of the work had to be done before they left. This meant that Gou was over almost every day. Since Haru refused to come out of the bathtub, Gou and Rin were forced to squish into the small bathroom. 

Most days went as followed: Rin would carry in his laptop, and Gou would walk over with a giant binder. They would begin researching the topic of the day: flowers, invitations, ect. Then, after they decided on something, Gou and Rin would attempt to drag Haru out of the bathtub to go shopping. For the first week of the summer, they were largely unsuccessful. Eventually, Gou managed to work her magic, and convinced Haru to go shopping with her. Rin kissed Haru on the cheek, and pushed him out the door. “Good luck. Don’t come back until you find a good caterer,” Rin called after them, and then disappeared into the house, hopefully to do more research while they were gone.

“Come on, Haru! We don’t have much time! It’s already four. Stores will be closing soon,” said Gou, grabbing Haru’s arm, and tugging him down the street. Haru sluggishly followed after her, the heat beating down his neck. 

They rode the local train downtown, and headed for the first restaurant on their list, Huxley. It was one of the few upscale restaurants in town, and one of the best choices for catering. If they could get them for Rin and Haru’s wedding, it would be absolutely perfect. The inside of the restaurant was astonishingly beautiful. It had a sleek, modern design with a navy blue and white theme. They didn’t have to wait long before a cheery waitress approached them. “Hello, table for two?”

Gou elbowed Haru. “Uh, actually we’re interested in catering for a wedding,” he said.

“Oh, I’ll get the owner for you. Are you two the lovely soul mates getting married?”

“Oh no! Haru here is getting married to my brother, but my brother couldn’t make it today. I’m here as a stand in,” explained Gou. 

“Well, congratulations to you and your soul mate,” said the waitress to Haru. “Now if you’ll excuse me.”

After a few minutes, the waitress returned with the owner, who was tall, thin, and wore sensible business attire. Upon meeting her, Haru instantly noticed that she had this large, imposing presence. “So, you’re interesting in our wedding catering, I hear?”

“Yes, ma’am,” said Gou.

“Well, feel free to come back to my office, and we’ll talk about it.”

Haru and Gou followed her into her office, and began to explain their potential wedding plans. “Winter wedding? Interesting choice,” commented the owner. 

Haru shrugged. “My soul mate and I figured spring would be hard to get, and any earlier is too soon.”

The owner nodded. “You’re probably right about that. Well, luckily for you, I have openings in January.”

They talked prices for a while, and then Haru promised that he would bring Rin in to finalize the plans. They left soon after that. Gou wore a smile on her face. “Wow, that was a lot easier than expected. I assumed we’d have to try a bunch of restaurants, but I guess that’s the benefit of having a winter wedding. You wanna get something to eat before we head back?” 

“We could have eaten back at the restaurant.”

“What, are you crazy? I can’t afford that place! Your wedding, sure, totally worth spending that money. But not a random meal!”

“We should sample the food, though.”

“You and Rin can do that. Go on a date or something, but leave me out of it, please! My wallet can’t handle it.”

“Okay, fine. Then let’s get mackerel.”

“Uh, no. We’re not gonna do that! You have to eat something besides mackerel, you know. Come on, let’s go to Sonmi.”

As promised, Gou led him to the ramen joint they had frequented back when they were on the swim club together. The restaurant was maybe a quarter the size of Huxley, but the smells that wafted from the kitchen were simply mouth-watering. Haru let Gou order for them because he didn’t really want to eat anything on the menu, but when the food came, he was reminded just why their friend group had adored Sonmi.

After finishing dinner, they headed to the train station to return to Haru’s place. Gou pulled out a pack of gum, and offered it to Haru. “Here, want a piece?” Haru shook his head, and she popped a piece in her mouth. “The first years have really improved since summer training started. Prefecturals are almost here, and I’ve been so worried that we aren’t gonna do well, but I’m starting to think that we can pull this off.” 

Haru nodded. “You’ve been working so hard, and you’re a capable manager.”

“I want to leave Iwatobi High with the knowledge that the swim club is gonna survive, ya know? We’ve all worked so hard. I don’t want it all to have been for nothing once we’re gone. But if we don’t make it to Nationals again, then the swim team might be done for.”

“Are the first years really that unreliable?”

“Well, no, but there’s only a few of them. I’m worried that no one else will join.”

“There’s bound to be others worthy of the water.”

Gou sighed, and smiled. “You should come to prefecturals. My brother, too. I think he’s going to go support Samezuka, anyway, but you should come cheer us on. We definitely need the support.”

“Yeah. Okay. I’ll come.” 

The train arrived at the station, and the two of them climbed out. They walked towards Haru’s house, the sun slowly beginning to set behind them. By the time they made it back, it was practically dark. Haru pulled open his backpack, and dug through it for his keys. Suddenly, Gou called out, “Oh my god, is it really you?”

Haru’s head snapped up in confusion, and he turned around. There, at the bottom of Haru’s driveway, stood a very familiar figure. Haru’s breath caught. He hadn’t seen Makoto since the day of the soul mate ceremony – almost six months ago. Makoto’s hair had gotten a little longer, but it was without a doubt still him. There was a pulsing in Haru’s veins, and it took every amount of willpower not to run and hug Makoto with all his might. 

“Gou-chan, it’s been a while. How are you?” said Makoto. Hearing his voice felt unreal to Haru.

“I’m good, really good. Prefecturals are coming up so I’ve been working hard. When did you get back from Tokyo?” said Gou. 

“Oh, just yesterday. It’s good to be home.”

“Mmmm… I’ll bet. I’m sure Tokyo was great, though! I’m kinda jealous. You have to tell me all about it.”

“Y-yeah. It was good work experience.” Then, Makoto looked past Gou and straight at Haru. The smallest hint of a smile tugged at the corner of Haru’s mouth. He had thought about seeing Makoto again so much over the last few months, but he couldn’t believe it was actually happening. “Hello, Nanase-san. How are you?” 

N-Nanase… san? Haru’s eyes grew wide, and the smile dropped from his face. His blood ran cold. Makoto had never called him that. It had always been Haru or, less pleasantly, Haru-chan, but never ever Nanase, and certainly never Nanase-san. “U-uh… yeah. I’m good.” All of sudden, it was difficult for Haru to meet Makoto’s gaze. 

“That’s good to hear, Nanase-san. Now, if you’ll both excuse me, I have to get home. My family’s waiting for me.” With that, Makoto walked away. 

Of course. Of course Makoto had referred to him as “Nanase-san.” It was logical. Makoto wasn’t stupid. He knew just like Haru that their feelings for each other were wrong. Dangerous. If they went back to being close the minute they were reunited, everything would surface in seconds. They had to detach themselves from each other, and the best way to do that was to treat each other as strangers. They had to call each other Nanase and Tachibana. Not Haru and Makoto. Not anymore. 

“Oh!” Haru managed to hear Gou gasp over his speeding thoughts. “I just got a message from Nagisa-kun. It says, ‘Mako-chan’s back!’ A little late, huh?”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter is kinda sort, but at least I managed to finish it! I'm not sure when I'll be able to post the next chapter so I hope this will tide you all over until I'm able to find time. Hope you enjoy it!

When they got inside, Rin greeted Haru with a quick peck on the cheek. Haru gave Rin his best smile, but it felt forced. Thankfully, Rin didn’t ask questions. “So I spent all of today looking at tablecloths, and I think I narrowed it down to a few colors.” 

“That’s great, Onii-chan! But guess who we ran into on our way home?” said Gou. 

“Who?”

“Makoto-senpai! He’s back from Tokyo!”

Haru stared at Gou. What was she doing? He looked back at Rin, but Rin didn’t seem bothered. Instead, he smiled, and said, “I haven’t seen Makoto in so long! How’s he doing?”

“He looked good. We didn’t talk for long, but you should meet up with him. When was the last time you hung out with someone who wasn’t me or Haru?” Haru noticed that Gou refused to look at him, but then again, she wasn’t exactly talking to him. It’s not like Rin might cheat on his soul mate if he hung out with Makoto. 

As it turned out, Rin didn’t have time to meet up with Makoto. Every morning, Gou stopped by, and helped them make a plan for what they needed to get done that day. Then, she’d leave to go practice with her team. Prefecturals were coming up in few weeks time, and they needed her now more than ever. Rin and Haru were expected to go through her plan, and accomplish the majority of it by the time she returned around five. Rin couldn’t exactly go and meet up with old high school buddies. 

But no matter how busy he got nor how hard he tried, Haru couldn’t get his run in with Makoto out of his mind.

Three days after the first run in, Haru was taking out the garbage. He heard a soft sound, and he looked up to see Makoto squatting in front of a cat. It was such a familiar sight, and Haru felt his heart clench. He quickly ducked his head, deposited the garbage, and ran for his front door. The last thing he needed was for Makoto to see him. If Rin found it weird that Haru was breathing hard, he didn’t say anything. 

Two days later, Haru was returning from the post office when he ran into Makoto again. His gut told him to run, but he needed to get home, and the only way to do that would be to walk past Makoto. Plus, Makoto had already seen him. He couldn’t just walk in the other direction nonchalantly at this point. 

He took a deep breath. He could do this. “Hello, T-tachibana…san?” He silently cursed himself for sounding so unsure. 

“Good afternoon, Nanase-san. Nice day we’re having.”

From the way the wind was blowing and the proximity that they were standing, Haru could smell small traces of the cologne Makoto was wearing. He wanted nothing more than to press himself close to Makoto, and breathe him in. No. No! He couldn’t think like that. “Yeah, it is.” 

“Weatherman said it was gonna rain, but there’s not a cloud in the sky. Guess we got lucky.”

“G-guess so.” 

“Alright, I’ll see you around. Have a good day!” With that, Makoto ducked down the stairs, and was gone as quickly as he came. There was an empty feeling in Haru’s chest.

The next day, Haru was coming back from the grocery store up to his neck in bags. Rin had gotten some inspiration to cook some complicated dish, and sent Haru to the store. The list of ingredients was huge and almost too long for one person to acquire, but if Haru failed on getting everything, Rin would be furious. 

When he got to the bottom of the stairs leading to his house, Haru stopped to rest. He placed his bags down, and stretched, feeling returning to his arms. Then he sighed, and looked up at the staircase. He was definitely not ready to brave it. Maybe he would call Rin to come help him. 

“Nanase-san, are you alright?” Haru turned around to see Makoto. No. Not again. Haru was starting to think there was someone orchestrating this and laughing at him. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just bringing home some groceries.” 

“Need any help?”

Haru felt his heart skip a beat. This was not happening. “No, I’m okay.”

“Are you sure? I really don’t mind helping.” 

Haru really didn’t want to brave the stairs alone with all these bags, but it would be inappropriate to accept Makoto’s offer. Makoto must have noticed Haru’s internal conflict because he walked over, and picked up some of the bags. “Come on. With the two of us, this shouldn’t be a problem.” 

As they walked up the stairs in complete silence, Haru felt his heart drumming in his chest. Makoto was warmth and happiness, but Makoto was wrong for him. Haru wanted to cry. All too soon, they arrived at Haru’s porch. Makoto placed the bags down and said, “Well, I’m off.”

“Thank you so much,” said Haru with a slight bow.

“No problem. Good bye, Nanase-san.” Makoto walked back across the street to his house. Haru watched him leave only taking his eyes away when Makoto disappeared inside. 

He felt like he was going insane. It seemed like every time he left his house, he saw Makoto. It was obvious that his feelings were still there. Six months had done nothing for him. He had barely made any progress on his feelings for Rin, but the second Makoto returned, he was head over heals again. He couldn’t deny being drawn to Makoto, maybe he would always be drawn to him, but those feelings didn’t matter. All that mattered was the name etched onto his collarbone. Rin was his one true love. 

But no matter how much Haru repeated that to himself, he couldn’t make himself believe it.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no see! I have finished my first year of college, and now I'm ready to finish this fic. I'll try to get the last few chapters up in no time. Hopefully the wait has been worth it!

Prefecturals rolled around, and Haru finally had a reason to leave his house for an extended period of time. He woke up, and caught an early morning train with Rin, the both of them still bleary eyed. The train was quiet; the only noise that could be heard was the clunking of the wheels on the tracks. Rin ended up falling asleep on Haru’s shoulder.

When they arrived, an ecstatic Gou ambushed them within minutes. “Haru! Onii-chan! Over here!” 

Nagisa was right behind her. “Haru-chan! Rin-chan! You’re here!” He pulled them into a tight hug.

“It’s good to see you, too, Nagisa,” said Rin with a laugh. 

“You came just in time! We were just about to head inside,” said Gou. 

Nagisa looked at her in confusion. “Huh? But what about Mako-cha-“ 

Suddenly, Haru felt a figure come up behind him. He turned around to see Makoto, and his stomach plummeted. He knew rationally that Makoto would be there, but he had been in denial about it over the last few weeks. He was not prepared for this. 

Nagisa, predictably, violently hugged Makoto. “Mako-chan! You’re here just in time!” 

“Alright, let’s head in!” yelled Gou. The group all nodded, and followed her inside. 

The stadium was just as Haru remembered it. The stands on all sides of the arena were packed with various high school teams and spectators. In the middle was the pool that Haru could never forget, the water a beautiful, crisp blue. All of Haru’s limbs itched for him to dive in. But this year, he couldn’t. This year, he was nothing but a spectator. 

They found an open bleacher, and piled in. Haru sat down next to Rin, who smiled and tangled their fingers together. Haru gave Rin his best smile in return. 

Then, Rin jumped up, releasing Haru’s hand in the process. “I found Samezuka! I’m gonna go join them. See you later!” He gave Haru a quick peck on the lips, and before Haru could properly register it, he was gone. 

Reluctantly, Haru looked at who was sitting on his other side and froze when he realized it was Makoto. He was turned away from Haru, wrapped up in a conversation with Nagisa. Haru was overcome with an irrational desire to tap Makoto on the shoulder and make him turn around, but he knew it was silly. Makoto wasn’t anyone important to Haru, at least he wasn’t supposed to be. To distract himself, Haru decided to focus on Rin as he walked over to Samezuka. 

The tournament started, and one by one, the members of Iwatobi headed down for their events. Eventually, it was time for the Breaststroke and Nagisa jumped up. “Wish me luck, guys!” 

“Good luck, Nagisa!” said Makoto. Nagisa gave him a wide smile, and bounced down the bleachers. With Nagisa gone and Rei and Gou talking with the first years, Haru was left to awkwardly sit next to Makoto. 

“I’m impressed with how everyone’s doing. Nagisa and Rei will definitely qualify.” Haru’s head snapped up. Was Makoto really starting up an actual, proper conversation with him that wasn’t completely meaningless like, “How’s the weather?” 

“Um, yeah, definitely. Nagisa is great at Breaststroke, and Rei has come far since he first joined. If anyone can do it, it’s them.”

Makoto spun to look at him, eyes wide. Haru felt his heart sink. Makoto had just been muttering to himself. Then, Makoto smiled. “Sitting here makes me miss it. Swimming with everyone was a lot of fun.” He paused. “You must miss it, too.”

Haru didn’t know how to handle this situation. This was the first time Makoto had acknowledged his presence on anything but a superficial level in a long while. “I-I do,” muttered Haru. His mouth felt dry. “I definitely miss it.” 

“I knew I would miss it, but I didn’t think I would feel so empty.” Haru was about to reply, but Makoto pointed towards the pool. “Look, Nagisa is about to go!”

Down below, Haru noticed Nagisa climbing up on the diving block. In the lane next to him was Nitori. Nagisa adjusted his goggles, and then looked up towards them. He raised his fist in the air. All of the Iwatobi swim team shouted, “Go, Nagisa!” 

The buzzer rang, and the Breaststrokers dived into the pool. “Go, go, go, go, go, Nagisa!” Within seconds, Nagisa had pulled ahead of everyone else. The only one that was close to him was Nitori. All the other swimmers fell back. Nitori quickly caught up, but Nagisa still put up a fight. As they reached their last lap, they were neck and neck. “Swim, swim, swim, Nagisa!” Nagisa was at the flags, Nitori hot on his heels. Nagisa slammed his hands against the wall. Haru whipped his head up at the score board. It read, “Hazuki Nagisa, 1st place!” 

Makoto released a big sigh. “He did it. I was worried for a second there.” 

As Nagisa bounded up the bleachers, all of the Iwatobi team swarmed him. Makoto and Haru were forced to hang back until the giant hug was finished. Haru decided to test the waters. “So how are you, Tachibana-san?” He figured it was a safe, common question. “How’s your family?” Less safe. Dammit.

“Oh, um, I’ve been alright,” said Makoto. “My family’s went away for the weekend.” 

“You didn’t go with them?” 

“Ah, no. I wanted to be here.” 

Nagisa managed to detangle himself from his teammates, and raced over to Haru and Makoto with Rei in tow. “Congratulations, Nagisa!” said Makoto, accepting Nagisa’s hug. “I knew you could do it!”

“Thanks, Mako-chan! That means a lot!”

“It’s just me left,” said Rei with a sigh.

“You’re gonna do amazing! You shouldn’t even worry about it!” said Nagisa.

“Nagisa’s right, you’re a good swimmer,” said Haru.

“That means a lot, Haruka-senpai! Thank you,” said Rei. 

“I’m gonna go get a celebratory snack! Rei-chan, Mako-chan, Haru-chan, come with me!” said Nagisa.

“My event is coming up!” retorted Rei.

“You have at least an hour! Come on!” whined Nagisa.

“Ugh, fine.”

“Mako-chan, are you coming?”

“Yeah, sure,” said Makoto with a smile.

“Haru-chan?”

Haru shook his head. “You guys go on without me. I wanna stay here, you know, in case Rin comes back?”

Nagisa gave Haru a strange look, but didn’t press it. The three of them walked off, and Haru watched Makoto’s back as he retreated. He sighed, glad to have some time to clear his head. But he wasn’t alone for long because Gou plopped herself down into the seat next to him. “Hey there, Haru. Have you seen Rei?” 

“He went with Makoto and Nagisa to get Nagisa a snack.”

“He knows his event is coming up, right? He better not eat any of Nagisa-kun’s sugar nightmares.”

Haru nodded. “He knows.”

“Okay, good. So why aren’t you with them?”

“In case Rin comes back looking for me.” 

“Haru…” Haru gave her a look to tell her to drop it, and she gave him one back. “Haru, I’m not an idiot.”

“I never said you were.”

“As Rin’s sister, I am morally obligated to tell you that if you don’t make my brother happy, I will snap your neck in half.” She paused. “But as your friend, I’m telling you that you should do what makes you happy.”

“What are you saying?”

“You know what I’m saying.” 

Haru stared at her for about a minute. Then – and he wasn’t quite sure where the feeling came from – he realized that he was incredibly grateful for Gou. Every day, she had come down to his house to help him and Rin. It wasn’t an easy ride, he knew that, but she’d done it anyway. He was starting to wonder if showing up every day really was because she was trying to be the best sister-in-law. He’d never know, because he knew that she’d never tell him, even if he asked.

Just then, Rei charged down the bleachers. “I was wrong! I was so wrong! My event is starting!” He ran over to the pool to where the butterfly swimmers were congregating, his arms waving madly. Nagisa and Makoto appeared a moment later, Nagisa chuckling and Makoto wearing a sympathetic expression. 

When the whistle went off, Rei dived into the water. He gained the lead almost instantly; there was absolutely no competition. Rei was the best swimmer currently in the pool. Haru couldn’t help but think about the Rei he had met almost three years ago. Rei hadn’t even known how to swim back then, and Haru remembered being personally insulted by how talentless he was. Seeing his friend now, Haru felt proud. He had improved so much.

When Rei hit the wall at the end of his final lap, Nagisa screamed, “That’s my Rei-chan!” an all too familiar shine glowing in his eyes. Next to Nagisa, Makoto was waving his arms in happiness. When Rei saw them, he waved back madly. No matter how much Rei tried to keep his cool, it didn’t change the fact that before every event, his insides were shaking like a leaf. But he had done it. He had qualified. When Rei had managed to return to the stands, it became apparent that he was crying. Haru smiled and stood up, ready to join in the group hug.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're in the home stretch, guys. Next chapter should be up by the end of the week!

When the competition was over, Rin slid up behind Haru, and planted a kiss on the top of his head. “Congrats, guys! Looks like you’re going to Regionals!”

“Rin-san, you were watching?” asked Rei.

“I was sitting with Samezuka not blind, guys!” laughed Rin. “You all did well! I’m proud. Just don’t let Samezuka know I said that.”

“Your secret is safe with us, Rin-chan!” said Nagisa. 

They all boarded the train to head back home, Iwatobi excited to rest up before returning for the second part of the tournament the next day. “Sorry we can’t see you all compete tomorrow, but our caterer insisted on meeting,” said Haru with a sigh.

“It’s okay! It’ll all be worth it when we’re having an awesome time at your wedding,” said Nagisa. 

When they got off the train, Rei, Nagisa, and Gou bade their farewells, and Haru, Rin, and Makoto walked back home together. Haru had walked that road many times before, but at that moment, the atmosphere felt tense. Makoto was silent as they walked, and it unnerved Haru. Rin was the only one who said anything, either completely oblivious to the awkward tension or choosing deliberately to ignore it. “Makoto, what have you been up to lately? We haven’t been able to catch up since you got back.”

Makoto shrugged. “Just spending time with my family until I go to college.” 

Rin nodded. “Important, family’s important. How are your folks?”

“Good.” Haru waited for Makoto to tell Rin his family was out of town, but he didn’t. “How’s, uh, wedding planning? You’re getting married, right?” Haru’s eyes widened, and he stared at Makoto in surprise. Makoto didn’t really want to know the answer to the question; he was wound tighter than a coil. 

Amazingly, Rin ignored that, too. “Great! We got the best restaurant in town to cater for us! Well, not yet, but the meeting’s tomorrow, and apparently the owner really liked Haru and my sister so yeah. Things are going great with that! You’ll come, won’t you?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Makoto’s answer was so forced, so controlled, so monotone. Haru felt like the worst kind of asshole, but he knew he was doing the right thing. Marrying Rin was the right thing. He had to marry Rin. 

He wanted to throw up.

Luckily, the conversation ended there because they had arrived at Haru’s driveway. “Alright, this is our stop. I’ll see you around, Makoto. Don’t be a stranger!” said Rin, waving goodbye.

“Goodbye, Rin, Nanase-san.” Before Haru could say his own good-bye, Makoto bolted across the street to his front door. As Haru watched Makoto recede, he felt a sharp prickling at the corners of his eyes. He wanted to drag Makoto back and apologize. He didn’t know what he had to apologize for, but he wanted to. He didn’t want to accept that Makoto had just walked away after barely saying anything to him. He didn’t want to accept that to Makoto, he was just “Nanase-san.” 

The next moment was a blur. He vaguely remembered walking through the front door with Rin. He vaguely remembered peeling off his socks and shoes. He vaguely remembered Rin turning to him and asking, “Are you crying?” Before he knew it, he was standing in the bathroom, the door locked behind him. In the mirror, he saw himself: tear tracks trailing down his face, hot and wet. Gou’s words flashed in his mind, “You should do what makes you happy.”

Suddenly, Haru found himself back in his bed, the night before the soul mate ceremony. His limbs were tangled with Makoto’s. He felt warm and safe, Makoto a heat radiator. He remembered Makoto leaning over to capture Haru’s lips in his own. He felt happy and loved as Makoto’s finger traced his jaw. 

Next, he was sitting on the couch, half in Makoto’s lap. Some movie was popped into the DVD player. Haru didn’t recall the title, but the feeling of Makoto’s fingers carding through his hair was soothing. Makoto had talked practically through the entire movie, but it hadn’t mattered because Haru thought Makoto’s commentary was far more interesting. 

Haru remembered that first kiss, the one he had stolen on the porch when he shouldn’t have. He remembered Makoto’s chapped lips, the smell of his cheap cologne. He remembered every kiss after that: the ones that had made his toes curl, the ones that took his breath away, the ones where one of them had accidentally used their teeth, the ones that were too wet even by Haru’s standards. They had been so inexperienced, but they had been inexperienced together. The imperfections hadn’t mattered because they had been in love. Wonderfully, amazingly in love. 

Haru remembered how Makoto’s eyes had looked reflecting the light of the fireworks. 

“What would you do without me?” 

Haru now knew exactly what that felt like, the words spinning in his mind on repeat. It was absolute misery. 

He sobbed and sobbed. Tears, snot, all of it poured down his face. He pushed his hands into his hair and pulled. He screamed and screamed. His heart felt like it was breaking all over again. They had been together for one month – one month! – but Haru could never, would never forget it. How could you forget being in love with your best friend? 

In the mirror, he saw Rin’s name peeking out from under his shirt collar. He hated it, hated it so much. It wasn’t Rin’s fault, none of this was Rin’s fault, but his name shouldn’t have been there. It shouldn’t have said Matsuoka Rin on his collarbone. 

It should have said Tachibana Makoto. 

As Haru clung to the sides of the sink, he heard banging on the bathroom door. “Haru! Fuck, Haru! Please open the fucking door! Are you okay? You’re scaring me!” The bangs against the door got heavier and heavier as Rin got more and more desperate. It would take a while, but eventually, Rin would break down the door. 

Lethargically, Haru removed himself from the sink and wiped his face with his hand. Then, he dragged himself over to the door and pulled it open. 

“Oh fuck, Haru!” Rin was on him in seconds, pulling him into tight hug. Haru hugged back, unable to stop the tears that were pouring into Rin’s shirt. 

“I can’t fall in love with you. I’m sorry,” Haru choked out. 

“Shhh, shhh, it’s okay, I know,” whispered Rin, petting Haru’s hair. All it did was cause Haru to cry harder.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Haru felt his legs give out, and they fell onto the ground. Haru continued crying and sobbing into Rin’s shirt as they sat on the bathroom floor. Six months of repressed feelings poured out and deposited themselves into Rin’s chest. 

“I-I love him so much. I don’t know what to do.”

“I know you do. It’s okay, shhhh.” 

“What’s wrong with me?”

“There’s nothing wrong with you. Love just doesn’t make sense.” 

“I should be i-in love with you. And I’m not. I’m a terrible person and the worst soul mate.”

“Well, I can’t praise how you are as a soul mate because obviously if you were a good one we’d be in love, but I don’t think it’s a bad thing. The stupid calculator thing helps people find the person they’re supposed to be happily in love with for the rest of their lives, but you already found that person so of course it was defective. You didn’t need it, and it doesn’t make you a terrible person.”

Slowly, Haru pulled himself out of Rin’s arms and sat back to stare at his soul mate – no, his friend. Rin passed him a wad of toilet paper, and Haru blew his nose into it. “So what are we going to do? Continue faking it like we have?” asked Haru.

“Nah, I’m not gonna do that. Not to you or to myself. But I know what you’re going to do.”

“What?” The tissue in Haru’s hand was covering his mouth so it came out muffled. 

“If you’re really, truly, in love with Makoto, you’re gonna march down to his apartment, and you’re gonna tell him how you feel. And then you idiots are going to be super gross about how in love you are.”

“I can’t… you know I can’t do that.”

“And why not? Because some dumb machine told you that you couldn’t? A dumb machine made by some idiot scientists who used math to calculate romance? When was the last time you saw math being romantic? The fundamental theorem of romance? Uh, no, I don’t think so.”

“What if it’s right? What if a few years down the road, Makoto and I fail and hate each other forever?”

“Then I’ll welcome you back with open arms, but I’m not gonna attempt this stupid relationship with the knowledge that you’re thinking about what could have been between you and Makoto.” 

Haru blinked at Rin in surprise. Then, he smiled. “Thank you.”

“Yeah, yeah, just get out of here and be with Makoto.”

Haru wiped the last of the tears from his face, and stood up from the floor. His eyes were still a bit red and puffy, but it would have to do. He gave Rin a nod, and ran out of the bathroom. His heart was racing. He was going to tell Makoto how he felt. He was going to tell Makoto all over again how he felt. This was really happening. He was really doing this. He ran through his front lawn, the grass soft under his bare feet. Makoto, he was going to Makoto. He raced up to Makoto’s front door. Before he could change his mind, he slammed his hand against the doorbell.

Waiting on the porch was agony. Haru felt his pulse singing in his ears. He could run now, run away and pretend he wasn’t about to do something that was morally questionable at best and illegal at worst. But then he thought about Rin in his bathroom, telling him to be in love with Makoto. He thought about Makoto, warm in his arms and kissing the bridge of his nose. No, he was going to do this. He was going to do this. 

After what felt like a year, the door was pulled open, and there stood Makoto. Wonderful, beautiful Makoto. He looked bewildered, and Haru couldn’t blame him. This must have been the last thing he expected. “Nanase-san, are you alright?”

The words rushed out of his mouth before he could even think of stopping them. “I’m in love with you!”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took longer than expected. Epilogue should hopefully be up within the next few days.
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: this chapter contains self harm

Makoto stared back, his mouth open and his face bright red. Haru refused to look away no matter how much he wanted to. Time slowed to a freeze.

“H-haru! I-I don’t understand,” said Makoto. “You should go home! Really, um… You should probably get back to Rin. Let me call him. He’s probably worried.” 

Haru smiled. “You called me ‘Haru’.” 

“W-what?” 

“You stopped calling me ‘Nanase-san’.”

“L-let me walk you home.” 

“I love you.”

“Don’t say that. You love Rin, your soulmate.” 

“No, I don’t. I love you.” 

“This is crazy talk! Please, let me walk you home. You should get some rest, and get this nonsense out of your head!” 

“I’m not crazy!” screamed Haru, the words ripping from his lungs. “I love you!” 

“Ha-ah… uh… N-nanase-san, this is really inappropriate…”

“It’s Haru! My name is Haru! You know that!” Haru felt something wet and hot on his cheeks. He was crying. Just great. 

“Haru! No! Shhhhhh, Haru!” Makoto grabbed Haru by the wrist, and pulled him into the house. “It’s okay! Please stop crying. Everything is going to be okay.” He pulled Haru into a tight hug. 

“I just couldn’t take it anymore, the whole being separated from you.” Haru’s voice was muffled by Makoto’s shirt, but he didn’t care. “We thought – everyone thought that we’d be soul mates. And I let myself fall in love with you, and I haven’t been able to stop my feelings. Not once in the last six months did they go away. At this point, I doubt they ever will. And I’d like to think, like to hope, that you feel the same way about me.” 

“Haru…” Makoto stepped back from the embrace to look Haru in the eyes. His expression was serious; it wasn’t one that Haru could remember ever receiving before. “My feelings, your feelings, we both know they don’t matter. You belong with Rin and I belong with… well, I don’t know yet, but a very lovely person, I’m sure.” 

“I’m not in love with Rin.” 

“You will be.”

“No, I won’t.” 

“How do you know that? Of course you will be.”

Haru felt like crying again, but he pushed down the feeling. “Because I’ve tried, Makoto! And I can’t do it. I’m not in love with him!” 

“But he’s your soul mate.” Makoto’s voice got quieter. “And I’m not.” 

Haru snorted. “Well, the Love Calculator clearly screwed up. Or there’s something wrong with me, I don’t know. But it’s been six months and I don’t feel any differently for Rin. I’m miserable, and I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too, but…”

“So I don’t see the problem.” 

“We might get in trouble and… and what do I do when I’m given my soul mate? W-we… we can’t do this, Haru. Not in good conscious. It’s selfish.” 

“We’ll deal with that when it comes. It’s okay to be selfish sometimes.” 

“Haru, I can’t. I’m sorry.” 

“If you can completely, honestly tell me that you’re not in love with me, then I’ll leave. I’ll walk out that door, go back to Rin, and you’ll never see me again. But only if you really, truly, honestly don’t love me.” 

Makoto was silent. Then, he said, “Haru, that’s not fair.” 

“If Rin’s name wasn’t plastered on my collarbone, would it be different?”

“Haru, what are you talking about?” 

“If I was a blank collar, would it be different?”

“But you’re not!” 

“I finally get it. It’s this fucking tattoo, isn’t it?” With that, Haru turned and marched straight for Makoto’s bathroom. 

“Haru!”

Upon making it into the bathroom, Haru stared at himself in the mirror, the fluorescent lights bathing him in their yellow glow. He pushed aside the collar of his shirt, and pressed his fingers to Rin’s name. That name, that pesky name. If only it wasn’t there. His eyes fell upon Makoto’s razor resting on the side of the sink. He picked it up, admiring it for a second. Then, he pressed it to his collarbone, right over Rin’s name, and pulled it taut against his skin.

“Haru, oh my god, Haru!” Makoto grabbed for Haru’s arm, the one holding the razor, and pulled it back. They wrestled for a few seconds, and then Haru dropped the blade. It crashed to the floor. “Haru, what are you doing? Oh my god, you’re bleeding!” Makoto lunged for the toilet paper, and pressed a wad of it to the wound. “Why would you do that? Oh my god, Haru!” 

“I thought if I got rid of the tattoo, you’d want to be with me,” answered Haru. 

“Don’t ever do something like that again!” screamed Makoto. He traced the side of Haru ‘s face with his finger. Then he leaned in and pressed his lips to Haru’s. Haru kissed back, putting all he had into it. Makoto’s lips were warm, so warm against his own. It felt like coming home. Haru could taste the hint of something spicy, like Makoto had just finished eating not too long ago – curry, maybe? But above all Makoto tasted like happiness and safety. Their tongues slid against each other, sending electric shocks down Haru’s spine. Haru reached up and tangled his fingers in Makoto’s hair, pressing even closer. It was breathtaking, electrifying.

Makoto was the first to pull back, just an inch, and pressed his forehead to Haru’s. “Don’t scare me like that. You’re not good to anyone dead. I don’t know what I’d do. I love you,” he whispered. “We’re both in deep trouble, aren’t we?” 

Haru leaned back to look Makoto in the eye. He didn’t miss the smile that was present on Makoto’s face. He smiled back. “Maybe, but I’m okay with it.” 

That was when Makoto started to panic. “Oh no, you’re still bleeding! Here, hold the tissues, and sit down on the toilet!” Haru did as he was instructed, and watched Makoto ruffle about for medical supplies. He managed to find the first aid kit, and pulled the antiseptic out of it. “Here, let go.” Haru pulled the tissues off of the wound, and looked down to inspect it. The cuts didn’t seem to be that deep, even though a lot of blood had soaked into his shirt. Makoto grabbed the hem of Haru’s shirt, and pulled it up over his head. Once it was off, Makoto angled the nozzle of the antiseptic bottle to face the cut and sprayed. Haru hissed, the burning hitting him almost instantly. “Sorry, sorry!” Makoto grabbed a large Band-Aid and stuck it over the cut. “This should be good for now.” 

Haru kissed Makoto again as a thank you. Not that he really needed an excuse. He felt Makoto laugh nervously, the vibrations bouncing between their lips. 

All too soon, Makoto pulled back. Haru looked at him in disappointment. “I’ll go get you one of my shirts. I don’t know if yours is salvageable - there’s a lot of blood on it - but I can try.” 

“Don’t worry about trying to wash it. It doesn’t really matter.” 

Makoto looked at Haru in confusion. “Once the blood sets, it’ll be impossible to wash out. Now is the best chance we have of saving it.” Haru couldn’t help notice the slight blush that had appeared on Makoto’s face. A warm feeling spread through his chest. 

“Makoto, it’s a shirt. Don’t worry about it. Plus, I feel like there’s something more important to deal with right now.”

“O-oh?” Makoto was bright red. 

Haru grabbed Makoto’s hand, and pulled him out of the bathroom. “Where do you want to go? Bedroom, couch, kitchen?” 

“Uhhh… um…” Makoto sounded completely flabbergasted. 

Haru stopped in his tracks and turned around. He wrapped his arms around Makoto’s shoulders, and kissed him again. “You okay?” 

“Y-yeah. Sorry. A few minutes ago I was ready to watch a movie with a bowl of popcorn. Then you bolt through my door, declare your love for me, and bleed all over my bathroom. It’s a lot to take in. Sort of need a moment to process.” 

Haru smoothed Makoto’s hair away from his forehead. “Take all the time you need. There’s no rush.” He didn’t mention that technically speaking, that wasn’t true. They didn’t know what was going to happen to them. Someone could beat down the door in seconds, and drag them apart. But they loved each other. Haru figured that had to count for something. 

After a few seconds, Makoto leaned in and kissed Haru, all force. Haru felt his breath leave his lungs, and found it replaced with teeth, lips, and tongue. Their kissing was all desperation. Makoto backed Haru up against the wall and lifted him up. Haru instantly wrapped his legs around Makoto’s waist. Makoto continued to kiss him, kiss him like they were dying and the only way to save themselves was to cling to each other. Their tongues slid against each other, hot and heavy. Haru could swear that his heart was going to leap out of his chest from how hard it was beating. With every slide of Makoto’s tongue against his, his pulse sang. 

Makoto’s mouth moved away from Haru’s lips, and traveled down his jaw, leaving light kisses behind. He paused to kiss and suck on one spot, and it sent pleasure coursing through Haru’s body. Haru couldn’t help but gasp as he felt Makoto’s hard cock press against him through layers of clothing. It turned Haru on even more, and he rocked against it, his own cock painfully hard. 

Makoto moved back to kiss Haru’s mouth, and Haru devoured him, desperate to feel every inch of Makoto. His world was Makoto, Makoto, Makoto. "Haru, wait, Haru,” gasped Makoto, pulled his head back an inch. “L-let’s... bedroom!” 

Haru nodded. “Y-yeah, okay.” 

They tumbled into Makoto’s room, unable to keep their hands off of each other, and landed on the bed. Haru straddled Makoto, completely mesmerized by the boy under him. Makoto was lying there, his breath slightly ragged, his face bright red, and his hair disheveled. Haru had dreamed about this for months, but no fantasy could possibly compare to actually having Makoto in his arms again.“Haru, you’re staring!”

“Ah, am I? Sorry.” He returned to kissing Makoto, desperate to inhale every part of Makoto that he could. If they somehow got separated after that night, Haru wanted to remember this moment forever. He could feel fingers in his hair, lightly tugging him closer. He slipped his hand under Makoto’s shirt.

Makoto laughed softly, breaking their kiss. “Haru, that tickles!” 

Haru smirked, and pushed up Makoto’s shirt to drop kisses up his torso. He traveled up, kissing and biting along the way, wanting nothing more than to mark Makoto as his own. When Haru looked up, Makoto was breathing hard and covering his mouth, his pupils blown wide. It made Haru proud to know that he was responsible for Makoto’s disheveled state. He traced one of Makoto’s nipples with his finger, and then bent down to take it in his mouth. As he sucked, he rubbed Makoto’s other nipple. 

“H-haru,” gasped Makoto. All it did was encourage Haru to continue. He switched his attention to Makoto’s other nipple, and felt Makoto tangle his fingers through his hair. “W-wait. Haru, stop!”

Haru instantly sat up, and froze. “What’s wrong?” 

“If we don’t stop now, I-I’m afraid I might do something I regret.”

“Do you want to stop?” 

“I, uh- I don’t know. Do you want to continue? Is this okay?” 

“Of course it is.” Haru leaned forward to press a kiss to Makoto’s temple. 

“A-are you sure?”

Haru ground his hips against Makoto. “Do I seem unsure? I want to have sex with you, but only if you’re sure.” 

“Okay. Yeah. I do. I definitely want this.” 

Haru nodded, trying to push down his nervous thoughts. He couldn’t believe that this was happening, but he knew that he wanted to have sex with Makoto. He was absolutely sure about it. He moved to kiss Makoto again, but was once again stopped. “Wait! Uh. Which one of us is gonna… ya know?” 

“Be on top? Bottom?” 

Makoto’s face grew bright red. “Y-yeah, that.” 

Haru glanced down. He saw the outline of Makoto’s cock through his pants. He bit his lip. Yeah, he could do this. “I want to ride you.” 

Makoto’s face grew even redder, if that was possible. “Uh, yeah. That’s good. I guess we solved that problem.” He seemed to have a hard time meeting Haru’s gaze. 

Haru wanted nothing more than to wrap himself around Makoto, and never let go. “Do you have lube? Condoms?” 

“No, I don’t. Um… no soul mate, so there hasn’t been a reason for me to have any. Do you?”

“Back at my house, but I don’t think I should go get them.” Somehow, he didn’t think Rin would appreciate him returning so soon, even if he had approved of him leaving. 

“Uh, yeah, probably not. I’m sorry, I have no idea what I’m doing. It’s not like I’ve done this before.” 

Haru shrugged. “It’s not like I have either.” 

Makoto eyes grew wide. “You mean you and Rin haven’t?”

“No.” 

Makoto breathed a sigh of relief. “That… that makes me a feel a lot better. But I guess it doesn’t matter because we still can’t have sex without lube.”

“Not anal, but… we can do other stuff?”

“Other stuff?” 

Haru nodded. He could feel his cheeks burning up a little, but he needed to ignore it. He inched backwards until he was straddling Makoto’s knees. Makoto sat up awkwardly, his expression making it clear that he had no idea where this was going. Haru grabbed the hem of Makoto’s shirt and pulled it up over his head. Then, he undid Makoto’s pants. Makoto lifted his hips, and Haru pulled the jeans down and off of Makoto’s legs, leaving him in just his boxers. There was a wet spot in the front, a stain from the pre-come coming from Makoto’s fully erect cock. 

The boxers were next to go, Makoto’s dick finally free from its confines. Haru had always imagined Makoto to be large, but now, completely hard and right in front of his face, Makoto’s cock seemed massive. But it made sense. All of Makoto was massive. Haru suddenly felt glad that they hadn’t had any lube to use because now that he was getting a proper look, he wasn’t sure if he could handle bottoming for Makoto. Putting that out of his mind, Haru focused all of his attention on the boy he loved. He grasped Makoto’s cock with his hand, and slid it along the shaft. Makoto gasped as Haru traced the vein on the underside with his thumb. Haru bent down, and kissed the tip of his cock. He wrapped his lips around the rim, and licked across the head. Instantly, Makoto’s hands were in Haru’s hair, and he was trying to buck up into Haru’s mouth. 

Haru ripped his mouth away from Makoto’s cock and coughed. He pushed Makoto’s hips down. “Stop! If you do that, I’m gonna choke.” 

“Ah, sorry, sorry!” Haru took a deep breath, and bent down once again to take Makoto into his mouth. He kissed down the shaft, Makoto’s cock hot under his lips. He could feel Makoto twitching underneath him, fighting the urge to thrust up. Haru reached up with his free hand and tangled his fingers between Makoto’s. He squeezed Makoto’s hand to distract him enough to keep him from bucking again.

“H-haru, wait! What about you?” 

Haru looked up at Makoto, and took his mouth off of Makoto’s dick. “What about me?” Makoto sat up and pulled Haru closer. Haru felt Makoto pull open his belt and before he knew it, his pants and underwear were being tossed into the corner. Makoto wrapped his large hand around both of their dicks, and Haru gasped. He felt his own cock slide against Makoto’s as Makoto’s giant hand pumped both of them together. 

“Does it feel good, Haru?” Haru gasped in response, unable to speak. He knew that if he tried, he would just end up moaning. He wrapped his arms around Makoto’s neck and pressed his face into the crook of Makoto’s shoulder. He focused on the sensation, letting it wash over him. It felt good, so good. He felt like he was going insane, his world nothing but Makoto. He was hard, so achingly hard, and he couldn’t stop himself from rutting up into Makoto’s hand. 

Slowly, Makoto leaned back until they were both looking at each other again. Haru leaned up, and pulled him into a kiss, but it quickly devolved into the two of them moaning against each other. Haru felt Makoto thumb the tip of his erection, and it sent shock waves all down to his toes. “M-Ma-ah- I-I’m close,” gasped Haru. 

“Me, too. Me, too.” 

Haru fucked up into Makoto’s fist, one, two, three times and then he was coming, his orgasm blasting through his body. Everything was a giant haze, and he clung to Makoto for dear life, his nails digging into Makoto’s shoulder. His world was spinning so fast that he felt like if he didn’t hold on to Makoto, he would explode into nothing. Makoto came soon after, his whole body shuddering and shaking against Haru’s. Haru, breathing hard, kissed Makoto’s neck as the last shock waves of his orgasm washed through him. He had masturbated before, but none of it had ever come close to this, to the feeling of pure pleasure with Makoto wrapped around him. 

Boneless and shaky, Haru climbed off of Makoto’s lap, and laid down next to him. Makoto reached for the tissue box next to his bed, and wiped off the come that had stained their stomachs. Then, he snuggled close to Haru, and pulled the blanket over them. 

Haru pressed close, and lazily traced his lips over Makoto’s. Makoto murmured, “I love you,” into Haru’s mouth.

Haru smiled. “Me, too. So much.” 

“What are we gonna do?”

Haru didn’t want to face this question. He wanted to fall asleep pressed up against Makoto. He wanted to want up tomorrow morning with sleepy kisses. He wanted to wake up every morning with the man he loved. He wanted to pretend that he could guarantee that if they wanted to, they could be together forever. “I-I don’t know.” And that was the truth. He didn’t know. “I can’t return to Rin. I can’t do it.” His voice sounded weak, and distant. He could barely recognize it. 

“But what can we do? I knew this was a bad idea. Now I’ll never be able to get you out of my head.”

Haru’s eyes traced Makoto’s face. “We have the rest of the summer.”

“What?” 

“In the fall, we’re both going to college at completely different schools. We’re gonna have to be separated anyway, and Rin’s going somewhere completely different from me, too, so that won’t be a problem. We can do a long distance thing, like what I was planning with Rin. Until then, let’s leave. Get out of Iwatobi.” It sounded crazy, but as soon as he said it, he knew that’s what he wanted to do. It felt right, somehow, to leave, to get a fresh start, even if it was only temporary. Briefly, he thought about the catering appointment he had scheduled the next day with Rin, but he pushed it out of his mind. That was no longer something for him to be concerned about. 

“Haru, this… this sounds absolutely insane!” 

“No, listen. I have some money. It’s not a lot, but it’ll get us through the summer. We’ll go far away from here where no one will know that we aren’t soul mates. Then, once college starts, we’ll meet up on breaks and holidays. Maybe even on weekends.”

Makoto was quiet for a moment. Then, he said, “Okay, even if this somehow magically works, what about the soul mate ceremony? I still have to go to that at the end of the year. Or do you want me to be arrested?”

“No, you’ll go. And you’ll meet your soul mate. And I’ll meet your soul mate. And we’ll figure this out afterwards. Maybe they won’t even mind.”

“This sounds too good to be true, Haru, but…”

“But…?”

Makoto studied Haru for a moment, his finger tracing Haru’s cheek. “But I guess… I guess we have no other choice.”

Haru smiled. “No one ever said love was easy. Now, you have to tell me what you’ve been up to these last few months...” 

 

The following morning, Makoto pulled Haru out of bed with soft kisses and the warm smell of mackerel. After breakfast, Haru dragged Makoto into the bathtub. It was barely big enough to hold one of them, never mind two. Haru rested against Makoto’s chest, listening to the even staccato of his heart. Their hands found each other under the water.

But they couldn’t stay in there long. Haru grudgingly dragged himself out, already missing the feeling of Makoto’s chest against his back. The two of them packed quickly, Haru briefly sneaking into his own house to get what he needed - thankfully without running into Rin. When he returned, Makoto greeted him with a warm smile. Haru smiled back. He would never, could never get enough of Makoto’s smiles.

Once they were packed, Makoto left a note for his parents, and locked the house. 

Hand in hand, they ran to the train station, ready for the rest of their lives.


	15. Epilogue

“Yeah, so we’ve basically spent the whole day painting the bedroom purple! The place is gonna look amazing when we’re done!” Nagisa screamed through the cell phone so loud that Gou could swear her eardrums were about to shatter.

“Oh god, if you and Rei-kun keep this up, your apartment is going to looked like a rainbow!” Gou stifled a laugh. 

“Yup, and that’s how we like it!” 

Gou could hear Rei shouting, “It’s so beautiful!” somewhere in the distance.

“Oh, I meant to tell you. Mako-chan and Haru-chan called,” said Nagisa.

Gou’s eyes went wide. “Oh! How are they?” 

“Mako-chan said things were pretty good – something about a swimming in a lake. Before Haru-chan dragged him off the phone, he said that they’d be back around the middle of August. I can’t wait to see them!”

“That’s good! But seriously, those two should call more.” 

“They’re on a romantic vacation, Gou-chan! They don’t have time for us. They’re too busy making love!” 

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Gou tried her best to not think about her older ex-classmates having sex.

“Ahhhhh, oh no! Crap, Gou-chan, I’m sorry, but – oh no, it’s everywhere! Yeah, Rei accidentally kicked over the paint can and now the floor might be purple too so uhhh yeah, gotta go! Bye!” The line went dead with a click.

“Oh, uh, okay, bye, Nagisa-kun.” Gou sighed, and turned off her cell phone. She shouldn’t have expected anything else from Nagisa as scatterbrained as he was. She looked over to the mirror hanging from her bedroom door, and began smoothing back her hair. Her eyes habitually traveled to her collarbone. There was nothing there, as she expected, but Gou knew the name etched onto her skin was hidden beneath layers of make up. 

“Gou! Can you come downstairs and help me carry the groceries into the house?” called her mother from the first floor. 

“Coming, Mom!” Gou shook the thought of her soul mate out of her mind; it was a pointless thing to think about anyway. 

Downstairs, the television was blasting – Rin must have left it on. “A protest has broken out in Tokyo. They call themselves the Free Romance movement, and they are here to protest the idea of soul mates and the Love Calculator!” Gou ignored the program, and walked out the front door to assist her mother as promised. 

“Thanks so much, honey! I’m sorry that there’s a lot left, but I have to take care of some things for work. If you could finish it up and lock the car behind you, that would be wonderful.” Her mom handed her the keys and disappeared inside the house. 

Gou stuck her head into the trunk, and was disappointed to find that the groceries would take more than one trip. With a sigh, she reached for one of the heavier bags. Just as she was about to turn around, she felt something tap her shoulder and jumped. “Holy shit, onii-chan!” she screamed. She spun around, but it wasn’t her brother. Instead, it was a boy with bright orange hair and a giant grin. 

“Hi! My name’s Mikoshiba Momotarou, and my family just moved here! I swim competitively! My best stroke is backstroke and I’m known as ‘The Sea of Japan’s Sea Otter!’ I like to collect stag beetles-“

“Uh, hi, Mikoshiba-kun,” said Gou, cutting him off. She had no idea why this boy was standing it front of her, but she supposed she could try to be welcoming. “I’m Matsuoka Kou.” 

“Oh! Hi, Kou-san! Can I call you Kou-san? You can call me Momo! You’re really cute, you know that?” 

Gou really didn’t want to be on a first name basis with her new, very annoying neighbor. She was about to tell him so, but suddenly, she was cut off by another voice. “Momo! There you are!” She looked up to see another boy walking over to them. He was much taller than Momotarou, but had similar bright red hair and yellow eyes. He looked older so Gou figured he must have been an older brother. “Oh, hi, who are you?” asked the boy – a young man, really – once he had made it over to Gou and Momo. 

“This is-“ started Momotarou. 

Gou instantly cut him off. “Hi! I’m Matsuoka Gou.”

“Nice to meet you! I’m Mikoshiba Seijuurou. My brother wasn’t annoying you too much, was he?” Seijuurou grinned at Gou, and she couldn’t help but smile back.

“Gou? I thought your name was Kou?” piped up Momotarou.

“Not too much, no. It’s nice to meet you, too. Welcome to the neighborhood.” Gou had a feeling that her summer was about to get a lot more interesting. 

 

Rin sat in an outdoor cafè, drumming his fingers impatiently on the wooden table. A few weeks ago, he’d met someone on the Internet, and they’d instantly hit it off. They’d decided to meet at that particular café, but it seemed that his date was running late. A small voice in the back of Rin’s head told him that he’d been stood up, but he pushed it down. He would wait twenty more minutes. If his pen pal didn’t show up then, he’d leave. Twenty more minutes. 

In his hand was a post card. It had come that morning, but he hadn’t had time to look at it. He’d shoved it into his backpack in a rush, but now that it seemed like he had all the time in the world, he couldn’t stop staring at it. Every time Makoto and Haru would leave on one of their vacations, Rin got flooded with postcards. It got kind of annoying sometimes, but this one was different. Normally, Makoto wrote all of the cards himself. Sure, they were all signed with both of their names, but Rin could recognize Makoto’s handwriting anywhere. But this one, this one was different. Haru had written this one. It was a simple message, “How are you? We’re doing well. We saw a beautiful waterfall a few days ago,” but somehow, the fact that Haru had written it brought a warm feeling to Rin’s chest. 

“Are you Matsuoka Rin?” Rin was pulled out of his thoughts by a stranger that had appeared at the other side of the table. A gorgeous stranger, he might have added. The man had an unbelievable presence: his jaw line sharp, his hair deep black, his eyes bright teal. He was pressed into a simple t-shirt and jeans, but Rin could tell just how defined his muscles were. 

It was at that moment that Rin realized he was staring, and he scrambled to stand, shoving the postcard into his pocket. “Oh, hi! Yup, that’s me. I’m Rin. You must be Sousuke-san! Nice to finally meet you.”

Sousuke chuckled. “Nice to meet you, too. Mind if I sit down?”

“O-oh, yeah, please!” answered Rin, waving towards the empty seat. At this point, he figured he must have looked absolutely out of his mind. Things were going so well already. “S-so, uh, what made you want to try this out? Dating is not exactly the preferred method of romance these days.” 

Sousuke smiled. “Probably the same reason you did: I don’t want to be limited by the name on my collarbone.” 

Rin returned the smile and nodded. “Yeah. I completely understand. I mean, when you think about it, it doesn’t really make sense for there to be only one person for us to love.” 

“My feelings exactly. But what is your story? I apologize if I’m out of line, but you seem like the type of person who would swear on the soul mate system.” 

All of the nervous tension disappeared. Rin cocked his eyebrow. “What are you implying?”

Sousuke shrugged. “I just think you’re the romantic type. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s cute.” 

Rin’s heart started to beat faster. Sousuke thought he was cute? “Um… well, my soul mate ran away with the guy he was in love with. We tried to make it work for six months, but eventually, I felt too guilty to keep it going so I let him go. Last time I checked, they were on vacation at some beach resort. It’s been about a year. What about you?”

“My soul mate committed suicide about two months in. I had no idea she was even depressed until it happened.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” 

Sousuke shrugged. “I barely knew her. I still don’t know what to even think about it. But dating’s fun. I never really cared about the idea of a soul mate so it’s not really a big deal that I technically don’t have one.” 

Rin stood up, and threw some money on the table. “Come on, let’s get out of here.” He started to head towards the beach, and Sousuke caught up quickly. “You’re a swimmer too, right?”

“Used to be. Don’t really swim much these days, but I was pretty good back in high school.”

“Fancy a race then?” asked Rin, already starting to remove his watch.

“Is this how most dates with you go?” asked Sousuke with a chuckle. 

“Hmm... well, I guess this is sort of my style. Problem?” 

“Nope.” Sousuke yanked his shirt over his head, and threw it at Rin. He took off in the direction of the water at full speed.

“Hey! No fair!” Rin broke into a sprint, chasing after Sousuke across the sand. 

“Well, this is sort of _my_ style. Problem?” 

Rin laughed, managing to catch up to Sousuke and barreling into him at the edge of the water. Sousuke grabbed Rin by the arm most likely to prevent Rin from falling, but instead fell backwards himself. The water rushed up to pelt them both in the face, and Rin’s laughter was silenced by an inevitable kiss. 

Rin had a feeling everything was going to be just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we are: the end. I wanna thank everyone who has stuck with this fic even though it took a lot longer then expected for me to finish it. You're all wonderful and I don't think I would have had the motivation to keep posting if it wasn't for all of you. Thank you for all of your kind messages of encouragement and I hope the ending of this fic has found you well. I may continue this in the form of one shots or a full length sequel (really wouldn't get your hopes up for that one to be honest), but for now this where this AU ends.


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